


Shackled Wings

by khgirl153



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-18 23:56:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 59,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10627869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khgirl153/pseuds/khgirl153
Summary: Akira Kurusu has been accused of a terrible crime and is forced to lose the life he knew and build a new one with a heavy sentence restricting his freedom. When he is sentenced to serve his probation out at Shujin Academy, it was assumed that he would serve out his probation alone and endure the jeers and discrimination sure to follow his every step. Not if his younger sister, Hikari Kurusu, had any say in it. No matter what the cost, she will follow her brother to the end. But are they prepared to pay the price?





	1. Sentence

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! If you've been following me for a while, thank you very much for sticking with me. I'm sorry for not getting to my Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction, but I haven't been feeling the spark of inspiration for the series for a while now so I've been slow on the updates. ^^; Really sorry for that. But I've recently gotten into Persona 5 and I have found no means of escaping. Please don't send help. lol I hope you guys will enjoy this story and look forward to further developments. Feel free to leave me a comment and I promise to work as hard as I can on this. By the way, this fic will contain spoilers for the game, so I wouldn't recommend you read this until you've gotten far in the game or finished it. Enjoy! ^^ I do not own Persona 5 or the franchise. They belong to Atlus.

A white knight dressed in black and a dark knight dressed in white. Who is the real hero of this story? Is there even a hero? Or are we all a part of a fool’s game, being lead around by a cruel puppeteer? It shouldn’t have come to this, my brother pointing a dagger at him while he aims his silencer at my brother. Why did our fate have to lead us to this? A breaking point we could see no way out of. Could this have been averted? Was one decision all it took to bring us here? Or did the little missteps we took add up and made us unable to look away?

What could I have done to prevent this?

To imagine that this all began because my brother had the kind of heart that couldn’t run away from someone who needed his help, even if it was a stranger. All he wanted to do that night was protect a woman from some belligerent drunkard before he forced her into his car so he could do who knew what to her. My brother should have been hailed as a hero that night. That man should have been handcuffed and sent away like the criminal he was.

But how funny it was that fate decided to deal my brother an unfair hand that night. The man, his face disguised by the darkness, stumbled and fell to the ground. Apparently he had received a serious head injury when my brother "maliciously" shoved him down. But my brother, Akira Kurusu, or as I referred to him, Big Brother, swore that it was only a light push to create a safe distance between the woman and that assailant. He insisted that it was just an accident. To his credit, the other man was drunk out of his wits so the fall should have been blamed on his irresponsible alcohol consumption.

When the cops arrived, Big Brother told me about how subservient the police acted to the drunkard and how quickly they believed his story of my brother being the aggressor while he painted himself as the "rightful victim". I asked him if the woman was still around to defend his case and clear the misunderstanding. It was stupid to ask, all things considered. But Big Brother didn’t scold me. He never did. He just shook his head and told me that the woman was there the whole time, but the drunkard had pressured her to give a false testimony. She had collaborated her attacker’s story and made my brother, the only one who had run to protect her, a criminal.

Big Brother had been in too much shock to confirm or deny the claims. He’s always been a quiet, calm guy, if not a bit sassy at times. But it was always in good humor and never with ill intent. A man with a firm belief in right and wrong, Big Brother had many friends and strangers alike confide in him their troubles. He was like a personal life coach to whomever he came across. No one had any reason to mark him as a criminal.

If I had been there with him, or if I had told him not to go out at all, could this have been prevented? He had been out for a stupid reason too. I had a really bad headache that night and we didn’t have any medicine for it. Big Brother said that he was going to run out real quick and get me some.

“Don’t worry. Get some sleep and I’ll be back before you know it.” He gave me his signature smile, one which insisted that everything was going to be okay. One small kiss on the forehead later, he was out.

I didn’t hear back from him until near midnight. Our parents weren’t home so I was the first one who heard the news. My brother was in jail. All because he tried to save a random stranger while making a quick errand for his little sister.

I was only a minor, a first year in high school at that, so I wasn’t old enough to bail Big Brother out of prison. Besides, our parents were going to find out one way or another. I told the police how to contact them and that was it. They wouldn’t answer why Big Brother had been convicted or who had accused him. The line went dead along with any hope I might have had.

It felt like ages until he came home. A path had been worn into the carpeted floor of the living room I had been sleeping in and my nails were stubbed. My headache pounded and tears fell as my bottom lip bled from all the gnawing I had issued it. So when Big Brother and our parents entered our house at the wee hours of dawn, the sun not having risen quite yet, I was a mess. But Big Brother wasn’t any better. His wrists were red from the handcuffs he had been issued, bags marred his eyes, his moppy black hair was even more disheveled than usual, and his slightly tanned skin had turned pale.

I didn’t bother looking at our parents. I ran to Big Brother and hugged him around his waist, burying my face into his chest. He had to bend down to rest his head on top of mine as he hugged me back.

“Sorry I’m late,” Big Brother whispered.

He straightened up and released me. He turned around to get his backpack and unzipped it. Inside was my favorite brand of headache powder, fruit flavored for easy ingestion. Big Brother gave me a tired smile and handed it to me without a word or sign of any anger and resentment he might have held.

Even when Big Brother was locked away for who knows how long, he still remembered his duty as my older sibling. Our parents told me later that he had insisted on stopping by the drug store before heading home. The police had warned him to go straight home so they could give us further instructions on how they would proceed with his punishment. But Big Brother wouldn’t take no for an answer.

So it was that when Big Brother was slapped with probation, forced to drop out of school, and subsequently was accepted with great reluctance to another school located so that he had to move out, I dug in my own heels. If my brother was going to be treated as the criminal he didn’t deserve to be labeled, then I will serve out the sentence with him. After all, I was the one who had sent him out that night for a stupid headache which I probably could have slept off.

“But Hikari-chan, you’re not the one in trouble,” My mom had reasoned, “I know it seems unfair, but your brother has to do this.”

“She’s right you know,” Dad said, straightening his tie.

We were all sitting down for breakfast the next morning, bar Big Brother, who wasn’t allowed to go back to school after the incident.

“Your brother has to learn not to stick his nose into things that don’t concern him.” He added, his mouth twisted in contempt. For the police or Big Brother, I don’t know.

“Dear,” Mom hushed at Dad, though she kept her gaze on me.

“So you’re saying he should have let that guy take her away?” I snap as Mom opened her mouth to say something. “Watch him shove her into the car and do whatever he wanted to her? He might have killed her that night and Big Brother was the only one to stand up for her!”

“You don’t need to yell,” Dad sighed, rubbing his still scruffy face. He had forgotten to shave and keep up his immaculate appearance. He always got onto Big Brother for his unruly hair, but he never listened. He told me it was his silent form of rebellion.

“Now sweetheart, you don’t need to worry about this.” Mom smiled as she moved to stroke my hair like I was still in elementary school. She frowned when I shook her off but she painted her smile back on. “It’s only for a year. Then Akira can come home and things will get back to normal again.”

I seethed and folded my arms, my nails digging into my elbows.

“Things won’t ‘get back to normal again’, Mom. Big Brother has been branded as a criminal and that’s going to follow him for the rest of his life. When he applies for school again, they’ll look at his record and he’ll be kicked to the curb. It won’t get any better when he starts looking for a job.”

“It’s something he’ll have to deal with. Not like he’ll be any different from a politician anyway.” Dad smiled at his own joke. Mom laughed with him, but it sounded tinny and hollow.

“But a politician has enough power and connections to make it appear in small headlines or bury it in the dirt. Big Brother's only in high school. And we’re not exactly rich and powerful.” I said. I’m not even going to bother indulging Mom and Dad in treating this like Big Brother is just going away like he was going to be studying abroad. He’s a criminal now because an adult had the audacity to throw the blame on an innocent student. And no one is doing anything about it.

“That’s enough Hikari,” Dad glared at me, finally having lost any patience he had for me, “Your brother is leaving and there’s nothing we can do about it. Whether or not you go with him isn’t going to change the circumstances. And besides, they don’t have enough room over there for another student. So grow up and leave it. You’re too dependent on Akira as it is.”

I bit my tongue and tears welled up. If I had gone out and gotten the medicine myself or if I had sucked it up and tried to sleep it off till the morning, things would have been different. I had tried to change Big Brother's mind about going but he wouldn’t relent. The only thing he had been concerned about was taking care of me. Now it was my turn to take care of him.

“If you won’t call that school and convince them to take me in, then I’m dropping out.”

Mom dropped the chopsticks she had been using to eat rice and a vein bulged on Dad’s forehead.

“You wouldn’t dare…” Dad seethed.

“Hikari-chan, be sensible. Akira will be back before you know it. It’s not going to be forever.” Mom tried to soothe me again by reaching to stroke my hair, but I shook her away again.

“The last time I heard someone say that they’ll ‘be back before I know it’, that someone was hauled away by the police. And if that someone had confronted that drunk and if he had been armed, that someone might have wound up in a hospital instead of a prison cell.” I was out of control by now, but I wasn’t going to stop. “I don’t need a high school degree to guarantee me success. I’ll do it. I’ll drop out and find a job near Big Brother's new school. I’ll juggle part-time jobs if I have to. Call Shujin Academy or I’ll do it.”

I sat firm in my chair and didn’t touch the omelet my mom had so meticulously made for me. She tried to appease my tension with my favorite food, but I let it go cold. When no one said anything else, I took the plate and scraped the omelet off and into the trash before clanking the plate in the sink. I grabbed my backpack and books and looked my parents square in their faces one last time, daring them to not take my threat seriously. My knees were trembling and my face felt clammy. I clasped my backpack strap in an effort to halt my hands from trembling as well.

A door opened behind me and my parents stared at something over my head. I didn’t need to turn around and see who it was. There were only four people living in this house. Big Brother walked up behind me and gently ruffled my hair. From the corner of my eye, I could see the bottom of his red and black checkered pajama pants. He’s so tall that the edge of the pants barely covered his ankles.

Big Brother nudged me towards the door without a word. That was his signal telling me that everything will be okay. I could exit stage left. He’ll take over in center stage until it was my cue to share the spotlight again.

As I left the house, I wondered about how much he heard. Even when my classmates gossiped behind my back or when they probed me for details, I ignored them. My plan was set and I wasn’t going to bother with anyone who was going to treat my brother, a good student and son, as trash. Even the teachers either kept their distance from me or coddled me with “condolences”.

Later that night, my mother reluctantly told me that although the school said they didn’t have any more room for students, they said that it was only in regards to second years. There was a spot that was there for my convenience. Apparently there had been another first year who had made plans to join the school, but something came up with their family and they decided not to go. I felt a slight twinge of pity for that student, but that pity was overshadowed by my feeling of great fortune.

I’m going to Shujin Academy with Big Brother. This time, I’ll protect him.


	2. Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari and Akira have arrived at Shibuya. This is the first step towards their sentence and the fate that is to receive them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm soo sorry I haven't updated this sooner. I've been trying to get together with my writing buddy so that we would be able to get out of our respective houses and work on our writing pieces, but things have been pretty hectic with the both of us so...yeah. -_-; But I've been able to get some work done and so I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter! Thank you very much for everyone who has read this and given me a comment or kudos. You guys have no idea how encouraging it is to have someone leave you a positive note and/or something to think about as you work on something like this. I don't own Persona 5. I only own my OC, Hikari. Enjoy!

November

It was a bad idea to split up. My gut kept telling me that I needed to run after Joker and help him secure the Treasure. Of course, he was far from incapable of accomplishing his task and it gave us the advantage of making a clean escape. Still…something wasn’t right. Where did that crackling voice come from? Almost like…someone talking on a radio?

Watching Joker dance through the sky though, like an acrobat with grace and style to spare, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sisterly pride rise within me. That’s my brother. My hero. The Joker who could lead us to certain victory as the trump card he was. Not once did he ever fail us in a mission whether it was for a large target or for those of the common people. He had won the trust of our teammates and striven forward in the world, even when everyone else turned their back on him. Even when the former believers of the Phantom Thieves discarded us at their convenience.

Joker fought his enemies with no hesitation, ripping off his mask and making them bear witness to the rebellious soul within. They didn’t stand a chance nor did they have a prayer.

Everything was going so well. Even when the “security guards” chased after him, Joker kept running and evading them like we had all done on so many missions before. In the few months we have come together as a group…no…a family, this shouldn’t have been a problem. Especially with our latest member, without whom we wouldn’t have been able to get this far. We wouldn’t have even thought to save this target from her end.

From what Oracle could tell us, Joker was nearing the exit. When the guards thought they had him cornered and ordered him to surrender, Joker flipped and surprised them by running on the rails of the upper terrace. It caught the guards by surprise, but for Joker it had become part of the routine. In this world, our bodies conformed to the standards in which we could pull of feats we wouldn’t have been so readily been able to in the real world. It was a boon, but practice did make perfect after all. And Joker was the king.

Finally, he had reached the multi-colored glass exit.

“See ya!” he called out with a proud smirk. We’ve been having a rough time trying to escape with all the incoming enemies, but my brother was ready to fly and lead us home. Just like always. Like every time we had successfully stolen the treasure.

At least…that’s what it should have been…

From what Oracle had told me, my dear brother had delivered such a beauteous flight that would have made the birds jealous. Glass trailed after him when he burst, giving his flight stars in his path. It made us all laugh and smile with hardly a care. Ironic for the situation really. But that was our Joker. My brother.

But when he landed, blinding lights surrounded him and Oracle cried out in alarm. Something was horribly wrong. An ambush had been set up. The police had come to get him. Surely these were only Shadows in the guise of the police force. Or at least this was part of the Palace ruler’s cognition. We are still dressed as the rebels that we are, so we must still be in the Metaverse. Surely Joker can evade them like usual.

By the time the police had cornered Joker, we had almost made it out. In fact, I was among the first to escape. I had begged Oracle to tell me Joker’s location. She told me that it was way too dangerous to go after him. He was too well surrounded and even if I did make it, the readings weren’t right. Something was strange about those police officers. But I didn’t care. I had to find him. I promised to protect him after all. He was the reason why I had come this far. If it wasn’t for him… I…

But in the end, it was for naught. My friends had to half-carry half-drag me away from the commotion. As they took me away, the last thing I saw was Joker making one last attempt to escape via a fire escape ladder. But it was futile. The bird had been cast from the sky and fell into the gaping maw of the wolf.

I couldn’t see anything further. My eyes were too blurry from my tears and my throat was too tight for me to scream. I reached for my mask, begging my “other me” to save one of the people I cherished most in the world. But our newest comrade, someone whom I had sworn to trust, seized my wrist and drew it back.

“It’s too late Rose,” he hissed, although not without sympathy, “It’s too late…”

Why…? I had promised…to protect him… Why…?

***

By the time Sae Niijima, a well-known and respected prosecutor in charge of the Phantom Thieves arrest, met Akira Kurusu, the leader of the aforementioned group, he was barely recognizable from his profile picture. It was clear that he had been abused far worse than any criminal had ever and should ever have been. Pale skin, black bags under glassy eyes, bruises around his wrists, it had been too harsh a treatment that any suspect, much less a sixteen year old, should have been granted.

“Can you hear me? It seems you’ve been through a lot.” Sae called out. She made to make some kind of connection with him. If she couldn’t give him a proper interrogation, then her reason for going there against her superior’s orders would be futile. This was likely the only chance she’ll be able to talk to him, so she’ll do whatever it takes to get the truth from this criminal.

A criminal so young that it was difficult to imagine what could have inspired him to lead such a questionable group. Even with his background, Sae would have thought that he would have been more devoted to his studies and protecting his younger sister, Hikari Kurusu, like he should have. As an older sibling herself, Sae wouldn’t even dream of getting her own little sister involved with this dangerous, possibly life threatening, ordeal.

“Almost anything can happen here…and I can’t stop them. That’s why I need you to answer me honestly. I don’t have much time either. What was your objective? Why did you cause such a major incident?”

It wasn’t like anyone in the police force could find any means to find proof that he was involved with the Phantom Thieves. If it wasn’t for the tip they had gotten, it would have been nigh impossible. They would have probably ended up arresting the wrong people just to settle the outcry against the justice Sae had worked so hard to uphold. But this wasn’t about trying to get information for the court. This was about finding the truth.

Why did he do it? What could have lead him to this point? Was his sister involved? Was she merely an accomplice? Or was she following his lead?

“…Start from the very beginning."

If Sae had had the potential, that special potential that only those under a certain contract may be able to undertake, she would have been able to see a bright blue butterfly circle around Akira. Stars in its wake, it whispers into Akira’s mind, outside of the prosecutor’s ability to see nor hear it. Words of pity and concern, and yet filled with hope and strength.

***

April

Big Brother woke with a start, jolting me from my place on his upper arm where I had dozed off. Apparently he had gotten the same idea. He looked puzzled, like he had woken up from something that wasn’t quite a nightmare but not exactly a pleasant dream.

“You okay?” I ask, rubbing my eyes and stretching. The two books I had sitting on my lap almost fell down onto the subway train’s floor, but I was quick to catch them. Far be it from me to let a spine be bruised or a page be creased due to my carelessness.

“Nah, I’m fine.” Big Brother answered, smiling as he gently ruffled my hair. He laughed when I pouted and tried to fix the mess. “You sure you can’t fit those in your bag? You’ve read through both of them before we even got on here.”

I shrugged.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t feel right if I’m not carrying something anyway.” It’s a habit of mine I had developed over the years. When we were younger, Mom sometimes dragged me and Big Brother to her dull business meetings whenever she couldn’t find a babysitter or our grandparents weren’t available. So eventually we had learned to bring a book with us if we were going to be inmates in her jail. Even though Big Brother had grown to have a certain fondness for books, hardly anyone would be able to find me without a book in hand. It’s a comfort for me; an escape from this harsh reality. I could be anything I wanted: a hero from the days of old, an enchantress who aids the hero in his times of distress, even a mythological creature who traverses lands I could never hope to see. My favorites though are always the tales of knights defending their king and upholding honor while seeking no gain for themselves. Sometimes, when we were much younger, I was able to drag Big Brother away from his studies and get him to pretend that he was a king and I his knight. I would drape his old red blanket around his shoulders and use a makeshift paper “crown” to adorn his head. Then, with cardboard “sword” in hand, made from a used paper towel roll, I defended my “king” from the fiends who would dare defy him.

“Suit yourself.” He replied and ruffled my hair again. I know he’s smiling. I just know it. But it wouldn’t be good manners to make a loud commotion in the subway so I just settled for giving him a glare and a pout. What he was more focused on though were the news articles displayed at the top of our subway car. Political scandals, subway accidents, mental shutdowns, mysterious phenomena that could only be described as being “occult” activity. Apparently Shibuya has been assaulted on all sides with strange activity from citizens who would literally “shutdown” and commit strange acts. For instance, a subway train driver who was normally so diligent at his job wound up speeding the subway up to dangerous speeds and sending the train careening at a dangerous pace. Fortunately with that case, no one had been killed although many were injured. But the strangest part was that he couldn’t recall anything during the incident. I’m surprised he even survived at all considering he was located at the very front.

“Hikari.” Big Brother called, standing up and slinging his school bag over his shoulder. “Here’s our stop.”

I nodded and joined him. When I stared at his new school uniform pants, I giggled.

“I still can’t get over it.” I gestured towards them. “They look just like your pajama pants from home.”

He laughed as well, his glasses glinting in the sun’s light. “And that’s why I bought new ones. So you wouldn’t bring it up again.”

I tucked my books under my arm, brushed my new school issued skirt, and checked to see if the rubber band holding my semi-braid together was still there. My hair was long enough to where I’m able to make a braid starting from the bottom half and have it end at about my waist. My mother would nag at me to have it cut to a more sensible length more fitting "a girl learning about her place in society", but it’s the hairstyle of one of my favorite characters from an old RPG game I had played years ago, “Autumn Moon”. I don’t know how well known the game is, but it left enough of an impression on me to copy the hairstyle of the town’s local librarian.

Finally, we had come to a stop and hopped off the train. Immediately we were greeted with tall buildings and a sea of faces coming at us from every direction. I draw my books close to my chest as my school bag rests in the crook of my elbow. With my other hand I hold onto Big Brother's free hand as he guides us towards Sojiro Sakura's house. Apparently we have a couple more stations to traverse through before we get there. Looking at the crowd around us, I can’t help but shiver. This is definitely not our quiet suburb. The city noises rang out all around us. Car horns blaring, people shouting at each other or talking incessantly on their phones, the advertisements displayed on the cumbersome screens above us.

It’s all so disconcerting. But if this place is going to be our home for the next year, then we’ll have to adapt. And I’m not going to run away just because I was startled by some noise. How pathetic would that be? Especially after that performance I had dealt back there.

We had paused for a moment to gather our bearings. I peered over at Big Brother's phone and saw a strange red app blocking the map we had been following. It was so eerie, staring up at us with a black eye and other weird markings.

Big Brother isn’t the kind of guy to follow a trend for the sake of following a trend, but neither was he the kind of guy to get absorbed in occult activity or anything too outlandish that this app could have possibly been associated with. I pride myself in being able to claim that I know my brother better than anyone, so I know for a fact that he would never download such a thing. But still…if he didn’t download it then how did it get there?

“That’s creepy,” I muttered. 

Big Brother nodded and tapped the app, trying to discern its function. Just as soon as he did though, one moment he was my usually composed, quiet brother. Then another moment his eyes were wide and he looked around as if he had seen a ghost. He turned to me and squeezed my hand, his forehead lightly creased as it always did when he was concerned.

“Are you okay?” He asked, looking me over as if checking for wounds.

“Eh?” I took an involuntary step back, but I didn’t release his hand. “Big Brother? What happened?”

He remained silent. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but the words couldn’t seem to escape. Finally, Big Brother shut his eyes and sighed.

“It’s nothing.” He turned back to his phone, dragged the strange icon to the trash, and tugged my hand with his usual smile, although it looked forced. “Let’s go.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t help but be concerned. What was that app? And what happened when Big Brother pressed it? Whatever the case, I hoped it was one of those moments we could just brush off as we walked forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Autumn Moon" is a refer I made to an old game that I played when I first started becoming a gamer. If you can guess which game it is, I'll give you a virtual cookie! ^^ This character is also what helped inspire Hikari's looks with a few exceptions, especially I don't know if I'll be able to expand upon in the future but I digress.


	3. Safe House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Hikari finally arrive in Yongen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thanks to everyone who's been with me so far! ^^ Recently, I just finished playing P5 and a part of me was like, "Yes! I did it!" but then the other part of me was crying out, "Why?!" for various reasons. *sighs* I also contemplated that maybe this would be a good opportunity to pursue a new love interest for Akira but 5 minutes into a new game I was like...no. I can't betray Futaba. lol Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please feel free to give me any critiques or thoughts about what you've read. I don't own Persona 5.

Even with Big Brother's app guiding us, it still felt like we were rats running around in a maze. At least two times, we almost missed our subway stops because we made a wrong turn or we had been shoved around by the masses because, apparently by their nonchalant behavior, that was the norm. It wasn’t like the country didn’t have traffic jams, but this was on a different level. The air we breathed in felt slightly dirtier, there were too many people pressed against me in the subway train, and if I hadn’t been holding onto Big Brother's hand I would have been swept away with the crowd.

But I had to bite my tongue and shut up the part of me that wanted to do nothing but complain. It was my decision to come here and if I had to put up with losing some of my public personal space to support and protect my brother, then I’d do it. I’ll need to make a mental note to grab a spare hair tie, wrap it around my wrist, and snap it whenever I find myself whining. That should help. At least that’s what they say in the books.

Finally, we arrived in the backstreets of Yongen-Jaya. It wasn’t nearly as packed as the rest of the city, and I could even see some small shops lined up down the way. From a certain point of view, it had charming character. Kind of grey, but not the depressing kind.

“How much farther?” I asked him, readjusting the books I was still carrying.

He double checked the map and looked around.

“It says that it shouldn’t be too far off. But I can’t pinpoint it.” He tugged my hand and smiled at me. “C’mon. Let’s ask around.”

I wasn’t too keen on asking strangers for help. There were way too many stories out there about kidnappers, scammers, and possible awkwardness involved in having to deal with small talk that I don’t know how to avoid. For Big Brother, it’s easy for him to give a witty response or retort without a second thought. Even though he wasn’t interested in small talk, at least he knows how to act. As for me, I’d rather take my chances by looking at a map multiple times until I got it right.

He tugged my hand again and we were off. At the beginning, we approached an officer who was patrolling the area.

“Excuse us,” Big Brother called, as sincere and polite as he could be.

The officer only glanced at us with a cold stare and slight frown.

“Yes?”

Yikes. At least sound a bit more friendly. I had to force myself not to glare at the guy and bite out a retort. Even though I know he couldn’t possibly know about his record, I can’t help but feel like I should say or do something. Words want to escape my throat, but it’s not going to help if we end up on the police’s radar on our first day.

Cool as ever, Big Brother asked the officer if he knew where we could find Sojiro Sakura’s house. The officer said that we should be able to find it if we walked further back down the alley. It was a relief when we finally walked off.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” I asked him once we were out of earshot from the officer.

Big Brother looked at me and raised an eyebrow, confused.

“I mean,” I sigh, “it almost feels like wherever you go the cops don’t give you a break.”

He just shrugged and turned back to face the road.

“Don’t worry about it Hikari,” he said, “as long as we don’t give them anything to talk about, we’ll be fine. Besides,” he paused and turned down an alley, “once we get to Sakura-san’s place we can relax. We can even stop by Leblanc. Mom and Dad said that their friend loves the coffee there.”

I scrunched my nose at the mention of our parents. If they had any kind of sense, they’d remember that coffee wasn’t an incentive for me. But Big Brother's recently gotten into drinking coffee more often and I like the smell of it so it wasn’t a bad deal. If anything, my stomach twisted at the way he tried to sound so calm at the mention of them.

Finally, we reached a small but well-kept house. It didn’t exactly feel welcoming but at least it didn’t give off anything foreboding. Big Brother placed his phone into his bag and pressed the doorbell.

No response.

He rings again.

...No response.

“Hmm. Guess he’s out,” he muttered.

“Now what?” I added.

The sound of footsteps from behind approached us and we turned. A friendly looking delivery man with a package under his arm smiled at us.

“If you’re looking for Sakura-san, he’s usually at his café around this time. If you want, you can try there.”

At least there’s one person around here who would give us a break. That assumption wasn’t fair though since Sakura-san was generous enough to provide shelter for the two of us, especially since I was a last minute addition. Maybe he was as kind and polite as this guy. Since he runs a café, surely he’d be someone who likes having people around since he works in something that requires him to interact with others.

With that, we bowed in thanks to the delivery man and we set off for Leblanc. Thankfully it wasn’t too far away from Sakura-san’s house so it was pretty easy to find.

At first glance, the café looked like something a person would see from one of those old time movies where residents would travel to during a rainy day and relax from a hard day’s labor. Maybe Sakura-san was the kind of person who liked to give people shelter from their troublesome lives. This could be a nice deal if all went well.

We entered the café and the scents of coffee beans, woodsy, smooth, and soothing gently wafted my senses. Every nerve that had been on edge from the bustling city and that unfriendly officer was put at ease and I couldn’t help but smile. The same affect seemed to come over Big Brother and we both smiled at the charming bell that chimed as we entered.

Upon further inspection, there was an elderly couple in the building and a man who looked like he was in his 50’s with a stooped back, slightly greying hair, circular glasses, and an apron that advertised Leblanc. The solitary man was fixated on what looked like a word game on newspaper. Pencil poised and steady in hand, he didn’t notice as we walked in. Behind him, news about traffic accidents and the worries from the general public were being broadcasted.

“How frightening.” The elderly man murmured with something akin to sadness in his voice and posture.

“What could be going on? Didn’t something similar happen just the other day?” The woman, whom I assumed to be his wife, responded.

But the other man continued with his crossword, seemingly oblivious to the news and still not noticing that we were standing at the entrance.

“Vertical is…the name of a shellfish used for farming pearls…”

An oyster, I wanted to respond. But for some reason I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I didn’t know if it was because I didn’t want to disturb the man or I was embarrassed to say anything in front of strangers, but I just couldn’t.

Finally, Big Brother shifted his feet, apparently also feeling awkward for the two of us in this unfamiliar place. The sound and movement must have alerted the man. He looked up at the two of us, a look of surprise on his face.

“…Oh, right.” He muttered, tossing the paper onto the bar behind him. “They did say that was today.”

I took a deep breath, inhaled the various coffee beans, and tried to relax. He didn’t sound unhappy or unfriendly, but at least he was expecting us. That had to be somewhat of a positive sign.

The elderly couple glanced back at us and smiled before getting up.

“We’ll be going now. The payment’s on the table,” The older man told him.

“Thanks for coming,” He responded. There wasn’t a smile on his face, but at least he was polite. Perhaps not the best customer service but maybe they were his regulars and he knew them well enough that he could be a little more relaxed around them. Or something.

“This place is in the back alley, so there’s no worries of a car crashing in here.” The elderly man remarked with a smile.

“A what?” The other man responded with raised eyebrows. Apparently he hadn’t been listening to the news.

“There’s been a string of those rampage accidents, you know. I just hope that none happen around here.”

“It’s none of my concern.”

“Haha, we’ll see you next time.” With a good natured smile, the elderly man and his wife left the café. They gave us one last smile before closing the door behind them. The other man scratched the back of his head and muttered about how they stayed around for four hours and only ordered one cup of coffee. Finally, he looked up at us and the nerves returned.

“So, you’re Akira and Hikari?” He asked.

I took in a breath and gave him a slight bow as Big Brother nodded his head.

“Is Sakura-san here,” he asked.

“…Yeah,” he responded, “I’m Sojiro Sakura. You two’ll be in my custody over the next year.” There was a slight smile on his face, but he didn’t look like he was completely at ease. But still, I could be wrong. This was the man who’s going to be taking care of us. We wouldn’t be entrusted to him if he was a bad man. “I was wondering what kind of unruly kids would show up, but you’re the ones, huh?” He scratched the back of his head, glancing between us. “Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other and—” He sighed and rested a hand on his hip. “Well, not that that matters… Follow me.”

Sakura-san turned and walked towards a staircase in the back of the café that we hadn’t noticed before. When he climbed the stairs, it dawned on me: We weren’t staying at his house like we had thought. We were staying at the café. Our parents mentioned that we might have been able to visit Leblanc, but I didn’t think that we would be living there.

It might not be so bad though. I imagined that the room might be a little cramped for two people but it could be a nice place. Big Brother and I followed Sakura-san as he opened the door for the attic. Inside, the space was a bit bigger than I thought it would be but…

“This is your room.” Sakura-san announced as he stepped towards the middle of the area. Dust coated the floor and junk was pushed onto both sides. Towards the corner of the room, there were two beds. One was positioned right next to the windows and the other was angled so that the head of the bed was resting adjacent to the foot of the previous bed. It was skinner than the other, but it looked like it could suit someone of my size. “I’ll at least give you two sheets for your beds.”

We took in our surroundings in silence. It wasn’t like the place wasn’t inhabitable. With some cleaning up and rearranging, this could be a nice living area. Right now though…

“You look like you wanna say something.” Sakura-san remarked with a frown. We stiffened at his tone. 

“It’s big,” Big Brother answered, which was probably the most polite thing he could say at the moment. It’s true though. Even with the two of us, it was pretty big.

“It’s on you two to clean up the rest.” He replied. “I’ll be leaving after I lock up each day. You’ll be alone at night, but don’t do anything stupid. I’ll throw you both out if either of you cause any trouble.”

I bit my bottom lip and squeezed Big Brother's hand. That can’t happen. Not under any circumstances. If we can’t stay here, then Big Brother's future is as good as doomed and I won’t be able to look at our parents in the face.

Sakura-san glanced at me and his frown softened. He scratched the back of his head, probably a little lost in thought.

“Now then, I got the gist of your situation.” He faced my brother. “You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, and then sued you. Right?” Then he turned to me. “And you fought with your parents and threatened to drop out of school unless you went with him. Even though you weren’t involved with the problem.”

We both nodded in turn. Sakura-san shook his head and sighed.

“That’s what you get for sticking your noses in a matter between adults.” He faced him again. “You did injure him, yeah?”

I opened my mouth but the words stuck in my throat. 'It wasn’t his fault,' I wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“…And now that you’ve got a criminal record, you were expelled from your high school. The courts ordered you to transfer and move out here, which your parents also approved.” He gives a sarcastic smile as he folds his arms. “In other words, they got rid of you for being a pain in the–”

He stopped himself before looking at me. I didn’t know what kind of expression I was wearing, but it was enough to make him drop the smile and frown. He dropped his arms and rested a hand on his hips.

“It’s best you not talk about anything unnecessary. Both of you. I am in the restaurant business, you know. Behave yourselves for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted and you can both get on with your lives.”

Sakura-san explained further that tomorrow we would be going to Shujin academy for a meeting with the principal and our teachers. As long as we stayed on our best behavior, there should be no problems. He gestured towards two large packages in the middle of the room. Our names and the address of Sakura-san’s home were on the label.

So maybe our parents had thought we were going to be living with Sakura-san. Us living at Leblanc must have been a last minute decision. Was it because he didn’t have enough room for all three of us to live at his house? Was my decision to follow Big Brother what forced Sakura-san’s hand? Guilt stabbed its way into my stomach and heat flooded my cheeks. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea…

The thought pressed down on me when I opened the package. Everyday clothing, my favorite books, notebooks, miscellaneous things. Finally I pulled out a light blue tunic and yoga pants from the box. Big Brother volunteered to change in the downstairs bathroom so that I could have privacy upstairs.

For the first time since I arrived in this city, I began having doubts about my decision. It was beyond me that a court ruling would find a completely innocent young man guilty of such a crime, or any crime really. He had never caused any trouble at school and he was the kind of student that teachers didn’t complain about. His grades were above average and our parents mostly got onto him for his unruly hair, which was why I tried to tame mine with my current hairstyle since we both have strong waves.

When Big Brother was brought under police scrutiny, not once did I ever hear our parents vouch for him. The more he was rejected by other schools to take him in, the more ashamed they looked. Why should they be though? It’s not as if they raised a delinquent who hung out with gangs until late at night. They raised a kind, responsible, brave man. A hero. My hero.

So when they didn’t say anything, I could only wonder how betrayed Big Brother felt at that point. How alone he must have been. And the thought that the reason why he had been out there in the first place was because of me…

I shook my head and stood up straight, clenching my fists. He won’t stand alone if I have a say in it. Yeah, it may have been bad luck to be thrown into an attic when he could have been living in a nice house, but at least it’s safe and sound and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Even with the thick dust swirling in the air, the comforting scent of coffee beans lingered on. There were even some interesting looking books I could look at later.

Someone knocked on the door.

“You okay? Can I come in?” Big Brother asked.

“Yeah. It’s fine.”

He opened the door with a mop, broom, and duster in hand. Apparently Sakura-san had given him some tools we could use to better our environment. Clenching my resolve, I marched over and grabbed the broom from him with as big a smile I could muster.

“Let’s get to work!” I cheered. He smiled back at me and ruffled my hair.

***

There is something to be noted about the benefits of glasses. When dusting, they work well as shields. We found that out quick. While he was able to forge on with dusting the ceiling, my eyes watered as the dust hit my unguarded eyes. It wasn’t like Big Brother needed glasses 24/7, only when he reads or when he just felt like wearing them. I, on the other hand, didn’t have such a quality. But I forged on and tried not to let it slow me down.

Just as we finished cleaning, stored our belongings away, and made our beds, Sakura-san reentered the room and evaluated our progress with a surprised but satisfied smile. Afterwards, he cautioned us to get to bed on time and to not get sick as he won’t be able to be around to look after us if something happened. Considering he actually lives in a house and not the café, it made sense. But it’d still be nice to know he had our back. On the other hand, the way he phrased it may have been his way of telling us to take care of ourselves and to watch our health.

Yeah. It might not be too bad here. As long as we follow the rules and don’t get into trouble, we’ll be fine.


	4. Correction Facility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Hikari are introduced to their new school. And so far, things aren't looking up. Or are they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sooo sorry for the late update and I'm hoping on trying to work on another chapter I might upload tonight or tomorrow. Mark my words, it'll be done. Life kinda kept me busy and I had recently gotten back into the swing of the Persona 5 fandom again so now inspiration has come forth. Just a little note, I've done some editing and I've modified it to where Hikari would address Akira as "Big Brother" as according to how younger siblings usually address their elder sibling in Japan and also in a way that rang true to the tune within Persona 5, such as when Makoto calls Sae "Big Sis" or "Sis". I'm sorry if it sounds annoying over time, so if you have any suggestions, feel free to let me know! I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave me a comment or kudos as you wish!
> 
> I do not own Persona 5 nor the characters. I only own Hikari.

Personally, I would rather not dwell on our visit to Shujin. The morning after we arrived, Sakura-san drove us to the school, although he told us that it was only going to be a one-time thing and we’ll have to start taking the subways from tomorrow onwards. To be fair, he does have a business to run and possibly many other things he needed to take care of. But his attitude towards Big Brother hadn’t thawed out overnight. When we reached the school gate, he turned to my brother and me and made sure he had our attention.

“Do me a favor and behave yourselves, all right?” Sakura-san gave Big Brother a pointed glare. “Don’t get me wrong – I don’t care what happens to you. Just don’t cause me or your sister any trouble. She went through a lot of trouble to come here with you, so don’t screw it up.” He then turned to me and his expression softened, but his frown didn’t leave. “And do your best to get along with the teachers. Even though you got lucky and managed to get in, they still had to pull an awful lot of strings to make this possible. Don’t do anything that will get you or your brother expelled.” Sakura-san fixed his steel gaze on both of us. “Understand?”

We both nod at him without a word. Seemingly satisfied, Sakura-san lead us towards the school. My stomach churned and I dearly wished I had a book with me. Just holding one was enough to calm my nerves when approaching a new challenge. However, since I was only going to be introduced to the teachers and Big Brother was coming with me, I thought that it wouldn’t be a problem. We were just going to go to school and then back to the café. But apparently my nerves wanted to poke fun at me today.

I glanced at Big Brother’s hand, wishing that we were children again so that us holding hands wouldn’t seem weird to society. The only reason why we held hands yesterday was because we were in an unfamiliar place and we needed to stick together at all costs. However, since we are almost adults, no longer children, we have to let go of the habit. Well, more so it was I that had to be rid of the habit. I didn’t want to do anything to embarrass Big Brother after all. Or do anything that would jeopardize his future.

Suddenly, my head was being patted and then my hand was secure in another one. I shift my gaze to Big Brother and he smiled as we walked after Sakura-san.

‘We’ve got this,’ his eyes said as he squeezed my hand. I smiled and nodded, but felt a strange mix of guilt and relief in my stomach. Big Brother, sensitive to my needs as always, came to my rescue. But I was supposed to be the one protecting him. And here I am.

Finally, we reached the office doors. Sakura-san looked over his shoulder and acted as if he was going to say something. He scrunched his face at our hands and shook his head with an exasperated sigh. Heat burst through my own face and I stole my hand away from Big Brother’s.

“You two are supposed to be high school students. Act like it,” he whispered. It wouldn’t be good if the teachers overheard his scolding and endangered our first impression as somewhat upstanding students.

We stepped inside the principal’s office and began our introductions. Sakura-san got to work signing the appropriate papers and I observe the principal in his chair and the teacher next to him. The principal was a bigger man with a bald head and impeccable, if not slightly colorful, attire. Dad would have approved of his neatness, but he and Mom would have clucked at the sight of the teacher next to the principal. She was pretty, but her hair was a mess and her manner of attire was more laid-back than what my parents’ idea of a teacher would be. And if I wasn’t mistaken, there were bags under her eyes. Did she not sleep well last night like Big Brother? He had mentioned something about a dream where he was in a jail cell and a blue room but he couldn’t tell me more because we had to get to school and he still couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it.

“To reiterate, just so we’re clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems,” the principal warned Big Brother, “Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were circumstances on our side…” He looked towards me. “And considering what trouble we had to go through in order to accommodate your parents’ wishes, I would hope you understand your own predicament.” Then he focused on the both of us. “You two might have done a variety of things in hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourselves here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.”

The principal gestured towards the tired-looking teacher. “This is the teacher in charge of your classes.”

She nodded. “I’m Sadayo Kawakami. Here are your student IDs.” Kawakami-sensei placed the IDs on the table and Big Brother leaned over to take them, handing mine over to me. “Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to protect neither of you at all.” She tilted her head towards the principal. “…That IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?”

It took almost everything I had to not grind my teeth and yell at the two as Kawakami-sensei whined about why it had to be her in charge of Big Brother’s homeroom and my Japanese language class and not someone else. I could understand the principal being wary of us due to my brother’s record, and Sakura-san already made it clear enough that I was in a bit of trouble too, so I didn’t need him to patronize me. But the teacher? The person who was supposed to care about their student and help them succeed despite the odds and difficulties ahead of them? At this point, I had lost any sympathy for her tiredness or any “trouble” the principal had to go through. I just wanted to go back to the café and lose myself in a good book. At least now I know the lay of the land and the opposition I’m up against.

Salvation came when Sakura-san asked if we could leave, gave reassurances that he’ll remind us to not get into any trouble, and headed out of the office.

“They’re treating you two like some kinda nuisance… I guess that’s what it means to have a criminal record. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go.” Sakura-san sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Was that a hint of sympathy in his voice? I couldn’t tell underneath his usual gruffness. “By the way…if you get expelled now, I won’t hesitate to kick you out. Got it?”

“I’ll be careful,” Big Brother affirmed, playing with the front strands of his hair out of habit. I breathed out through my nose, perhaps a little more loudly than I would have liked, because Sakura-san shifted his attention from Big Brother to me. He didn’t say anything but it looked like he wanted to. Instead, he shook his head and sighed himself.

“School never changes, huh…?”

***

Sadayo Kawakami sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders as she trudged through the connecting hallway from one part of the school to the other. Why did this have to fall to her? Didn’t she have enough troubles already? First there was balancing two jobs (one more humiliating than the other), then there was the ridicule she had to endure from the jeers she got from the other teachers from her apparent lack of care for the education of her students, and now she’s been assigned to watch over a criminal and his sister. Normally there would have been another teacher more suited towards the first year curriculum to teach Japanese I, but they wanted to use Sadayo as a common link for the siblings.

She released another heavy sigh as a well-built teacher sauntered towards her with a sympathetic smile.

“What a troublesome situation,” the male teacher remarked, stopping in his tracks and she paused as well.

“I can’t believe they pushed someone with a record on me and expect me to babysit at the same time. A male teacher would be better suited for this…” Sadayo said.

“Why in the world was someone like that admitted here,” he agreed. Then he perked up and smiled. “But you gotta admit, it’s kinda sweet that his little sister wanted to tag along. If ya look at it in a certain way, she’s just tryin’ to look after her big brother and make sure that he’s going to be okay.”

“But still…” Sadayo continued. It was true, she did have a certain amount of sympathy for Hikari Kurusu. If anything, Sadayo wished that she had someone who would stand by her side no matter the cost. Especially now. “In the end, it was the principal’s decision. I was told that it was for the school’s reputation.”

The other teacher scowled. “I would’ve thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that.”

“That’s certainly true,” Sadayo admitted without a hint of a smile.

“Be careful, OK,” he warned her with a gentle tone. “Then again, if anything were to happen, I’d kick out a student like that right away. Though I would feel bad for his sister, all things considered.”

“Well it’s her fault for stepping in where she doesn’t belong. Honestly, I keep wishing that he’d just end up not coming to school.” Sadayo hung her head slightly, bringing back to mind the anger that all but flew from the girl’s eyes before they left. On the outside, the Kurusu girl was calm. But definitely not inside. If Akira Kurusu hadn’t come to Shujin under these terms, Sadayo wouldn’t have to deal with this. Especially not the feelings of shame caused by that gaze. “Still, that isn’t something I should be saying as a teacher…” At least the brother appeared to be the more rational of the two. But who knew how long THAT was going to last?

“Well, I should be returning to practice,” the male teacher said.

Sadayo perked her head up. “Oh, right. The tournament’s coming up, isn’t it?”

He smiled and clenched his fists. “Hehe, having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself. We’ll have to work hard to make up for the track team too.”

“Yes…that’s true.”

The male teacher began to walk off before he paused and turned to Sadayo. “You know, in a way, I kinda sympathize with Kurusu-chan.”

“What about her?” Sadayo asked.

“Since her brother is a delinquent, she has expectations put on her to behave and carry the burden for both of them. If she behaves well, then it might benefit Kurusu and bolster his reputation. That’ll probably put a lot of stress on her.”

Sadayo nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

“Maybe I could help you out a bit. Check up on her every now and then, act as your go between for you two.”

“Well, I’d appreciate the help,” Sadayo admitted, although she couldn’t shake the funny feeling in her stomach when he offered. “But why would you bother? What about the tournament?”

The teacher laughed, unaware of Sadayo’s unease. “Hey, if she’s interested volleyball, then it won’t be a problem. I can just recruit her and give her the role and support she needs during her time here. That kid might even learn from her example and cooperate. Why don’t you mention my offer to Kurusu-chan next time you see her?”

Then he walked off and Sadayo did the same. A teacher should encourage her students to take pride in their school and join clubs that would be helpful for their futures. But Sadayo couldn’t shake the idea that maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to mention this. It would be helpful to have another teacher help her out, especially during this time, but having HIS help might not be the best idea. Not with all those rumors and nobody going against him.

***

On the bright side, we were out of that school. But on the other hand, the traffic jam wasn’t letting us get any closer to the café. Sakura-san, steaming underneath his white fedora, made his disapproval clear.

“Traffic’s not moving at all… You two are taking the train starting tomorrow.” He growled. I fidgeted in my spot within the safe confines of the backseat, hugging my favorite copy of “The Story of King Arthur and His Knights” close. Even though I didn’t bring a book in the school, that didn’t mean that I didn’t stash one away in the car. “…So how was it?” Sakura-san asked, his tone changing to a more conversational air. “The school, I mean. Think you can manage?”

“It seems fun,” Big Brother answered, causing me to smile. So he was looking at this optimistically, or at least salvaging whatever positivity he gleaned from our time out. That was a comfort at least.

Sakura-san only looked as exhausted as Kawakami-sensei did. “Do you even understand your situation…? Still, you were expelled once already. To think you’d re-enroll at a different one. It’s not like anyone will be sympathetic with you.” He sighed. “…If that’s what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too… What a troublesome –” He paused and turned towards me. “What about you? What did you think?”

“It was fine. A little nervous for tomorrow, but fine,” I said. Because really, that’s all I could say in honesty. I wasn’t going to start whining and throwing a fit. A knight never turned their back on a mission or their king. Going to this school would be the wasteland I tread upon and the threats towards my brother will be the “dragons” I will slay. Of course it sounds more dramatic and heroic in my head when in reality things will be a bit different. Still, I’m not going to show weakness, nerves or not.

“Why did you take us in?” Big Brother asked. An innocent enough question, but Sakura-san tucked his fedora closer over his face and fidgeted in his seat.

“I was asked to do it, and I just…happened to agree to it.” He waved a hand. “I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.”

The radio announcer declared that there was another subway accident, causing more delays for those driving. Upon hearing even more reports of these accidents, I wasn’t too keen on entrusting our safety via the subway to and from school. But as we didn’t have any other choice, and we would probably be late anyway if Sakura-san did drive us to school instead with all this incessant traffic, we were going to. So we would have to hope that fate didn’t have anything too harrowing in mind for us. At least not enough to get us killed.

***

Later that night, there was an update about the accident. Just like the one reported yesterday, despite the injuries from all sides, there weren’t any casualties and the conductor survived the ordeal like the other one did. However, there was a common link that Sae Niijima couldn’t ignore: neither of the conductors had any memory of speeding up nor could they explain why they acted the way they did. Her superior advised her to not worry too much about the incidents since it fell outside their jurisdiction, but she still couldn’t cease the alarm bells within her.

She left her superior’s office and headed towards the stairs leading outside the law firm. Waiting for her at the base of the steps was a young man, a senior in high school. Instead of dressing in the normal attire of his classmates, he wore a brown long coat and attire more becoming of an established adult within society.

“Did you ask for me? Is it a case?” The young man, Goro Akechi, asked of her as she descended towards him.

“Not quite. I want your opinion on something.” Sae answered.

“Sure. Your judgement is quite often correct, though.” He followed her with a hint of a gleam in his eyes, although his smile remained polite much like his speech. “Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.”

Without a glance or trace of humor, Sae complied. “Conveyor belt only.”

“Aw…” Goro Akechi pouted and slumped his posture. At least there was sushi to be enjoyed.

***

By the time we got back to the café, it was dark and Sakura-san hadn’t been able to open the café, a fact in which he stated but shrugged off. When Big Brother and I went to our rooms, Sakura-san issued Big Brother a journal he needed to write in and hand over to Sakura-san so that it could be used as a record of his time here. Sakura-san told him just to write whatever so long as it didn’t get him or me into trouble and he’ll ask for it later. Then he handed one to me. Compared to Big Brother’s more formal, black journal, this one was light pink and had cute, fluffy hamsters dancing across the cover.

After Sakura-san gave it to me, he tugged his fedora over his face and mumbled. “Your parents mentioned that…you liked to write so…enjoy. You don’t have to show me anything but…yeah.” He coughed and headed towards the door. “Just don’t cause any trouble and you’ll be fine. Got it?” Without waiting for a reply, he left as his cellphone rang.

“Good for you,” Big Brother said with a chuckle, peering at the notebook over my shoulder.

I was too stunned to say anything. I flipped through the pages, all white with pink lines and tiny hamsters dancing along the edges. A grumpy old man like him, maybe a little older than my dad, went into a store and bought this for me? Even though it wasn’t necessary? Just imagining the scenario almost made me laugh out loud until I chanced upon a yellow sticky note on the inside of the back cover.

“If you need anything, let me know. –Sakura”

Big Brother and I smiled.


	5. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari and Akira are finally beginning their first day of school. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thanks for everyone who has read my chapters thus far and I hope you enjoy this one. Feel free to leave a comment at the end. Enjoy! :)
> 
> I do not own the Persona franchise. I only own Hikari.

I could get used to eating curry every morning. It was no fluffy omelet, but Sakura-san’s curry was definitely not a bad start for a cloudy day on our first day of school. The spices danced on my tongue and I couldn’t resist scooping up another spoonful before finishing what was already in my mouth. If Big Brother’s wide eyes and slight grin were anything to go by, he must have felt the same. The curry was so good that I almost forgot to feel offended by Sakura-san’s surprise at my brother actually going to school. Almost.

“It’s time for you to go,” Sakura-san said as he began clearing the dishes.

“That was delicious,” Big Brother commented with a smile.

“Thank you for the meal,” I added with a slight bow.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Sakura-san’s face as he shooed us out the door before he warned us again about not getting lost. 

“Oh, flip the sign outside to OPEN for me, either one of you,” Sakura-san ordered as my hand touched the door knob.

“OK, got it,” Big Brother said with a nod.

“Don’t forget to do that for me, all right?” He waved a hand. “Now, you two better hurry on out. You’re gonna be late if you get lost, country kids.”

With one last nod from both of us and a flip of the sign by Big Brother, we were on our way to school, dark clouds over our heads but optimism inside us. Or at least whatever optimism we’re trying to keep inside us. Before we exited the alley, Big Brother turned to me with a gentle smile and held out his hand, asking a silent question.

“It’s going to be pretty crowded. I don’t want to lose you on the train,” he coaxed.

He had a point. The last time we got on the train, I thought I was going to suffocate with all those people crushing me. The fact that we also had to switch stations while on our way to school posed the problem of us accidentally getting separated if one of us got off the wrong stop. On the other hand…

“W-Won’t you be embarrassed?” I fidgeted with my King Arthur book. “Holding hands with your little sister isn’t exactly,”

Big Brother interrupted me by patting my head and mussing my hair.

“C’mon Hikari. You know me,” he teased. “I wouldn’t be offering if I was going to be embarrassed. Besides,” he smiled again, losing that teasing edge. “I’d feel a lot better knowing that you’re close by. I don’t want any creeps trying to steal my cute sister away.”

I puffed out my cheeks and glared, but I couldn’t help the giggle or the happiness swelling in my chest. I swear, if this guy was going to get a girlfriend, he’s going to sweep her off her feet. When Big Brother wanted to, he’s a real smooth talker.

“Well,” I clasped his hand and looked off to the side to hide my smile, “I guess we could. But only until we get to the school gate.”

“Deal,” he agreed with a chuckle and squeezed my hand.

Shortly after entering the station, I internally thanked Sakura-san and Big Brother’s map app repeatedly. It was crowded everywhere we went thanks to that train accident yesterday. It’s a relief that no one died, but with eighty people being injured and things as they were, the agitation was palpable. The negativity didn’t disperse when we boarded the train. Big Brother released my hand and wrapped one arm to hold me close as the crowd closed in all around us. It was a tight squeeze, allowing us ample opportunity to overhear the gossip and complaints about train safety and the government. But I reasoned that as long as I had my book and my brother, everything was going to be fine. Even if we were going to be sardined like this every day, everything will be fine.

When we exited the subway at the next station, the crowd thinned out just enough that when we climbed the steps for the next train, I was able to see the colored stands and stores located here and there throughout the station. It was a strip mall crammed into a train station. I absolutely had to find out if there was a book store here. If I could manage to squeeze in just a little bit of time in the morning or even at the end of the day to browse those paper treasures, this could be one of my favorite spots in the city.

“Big Brother?” I tugged on his hand. He didn’t stop walking, but he hummed to let me know that I could talk. “Is it okay if we look around here after school today?”

“You’re not much of a shopper, so let me guess,” Big Brother smirked. “You want to do a bit of treasure hunting.” I nodded with enthusiasm and Big Brother laughed. “Why not? I might be able to find something too. But maybe not today.” He turned around and smiled softly as I pouted. He stopped to pat my head. “I promise. Once Sakura-san says it’s okay, we can do some exploring. But right now, we should prove to him that he can trust us to stay out. Okay?”

I released his hand and held out a pinky finger. “Promise?”

He entwined his pinky with mine and we shook our hands up and down. “Promise.”

With that, we resumed holding hands and continued onto the next train, although I couldn’t ignore the whispers lingering behind us.

“Aren’t they a little old for childish games?” An older woman’s voice commented.

“That girl shouldn’t be troubling her brother like that.” A man’s voice scolded.

“Why are they holding hands? My children stopped before they entered middle school.”

“I agree. That girl might look like she’s in middle school, but those uniforms are clearly from Shujin Academy.”

“So distasteful.”

Big Brother obviously heard those people talking because he picked up his pace and I was jogging after him. But if he had been ashamed of holding my hand, he could have just dropped it instead of squeezing tighter.

“Don’t let go,” he ordered. “Remember, I was the one who wanted to do this.”

Just like I was the one who wanted to come here with him. If this amount of jeering was going to be enough to shake my confidence, then I needed to step up and remember why I came. No excuses. None. So it was that when we caught our train, we didn’t drop our hands.

***

Back at the café, Sojiro Sakura’s lone customer of the morning moaned as he watched the news bulletin.

“Oh man… Did it say it was going to rain today?”

Sojiro jerked and peered at the customer with wide eyes, losing his usual relaxed composure.

“Huh? It’s raining outside?” 

“It just started all of a sudden… This is why I hate the early spring,” the other man complained.

“That reminds me…” Sojiro mumbled as he cast his eyes downward and scratched his head. “Did they take umbrellas…?"

He recalled how his two new charges dashed out the café that morning after scarfing down their food and tried to remember if either of them had been aware of the news. Since the girl didn’t keep her book tucked away in her bag, thereby protecting it from the rain, she must have not been. The chance of the boy knowing was slim, but still. 

“Hm? Who’re you talking about,” the customer asked.

Shaking off his unease, Sojiro forced out an easy chuckle.

“Don’t mind me. So, what’ll it be?”

“One house blend, please.” The customer turned back to watch the news.

“The effects of yesterday’s subway accident continues on today as various lines suffer delays and –” the announcer’s voice sounded tinny as his voice emitted from the speakers, but the quality of the sound failed to dim the uninviting news.

“There’s been a lot of nasty accidents lately,” the customer commented. “You know, I mean the subway accident that the news is talking about… My coworker got caught up in it and is in the hospital now…” He shook his head. “But that aside, it’s kinda creepy. The people who caused these accidents supposedly went crazy all of a sudden. I heard that some of them suffered from nervous breakdowns during interrogation.”

“Huh…” Sojiro paused in his work and turned to the television. This whole matter was bringing back memories from times he wished would just stay gone and down. Nothing good came out of focusing on what had been if it was going to bring pain. At least there was one good thing that came out of the past. And that bit of goodness is what kept reminding him to go to the store later on, rain or shine or mental shutdowns.

***

By the time we exited the final station, it was pouring. I forced Big Brother to stop as I stooped down and rummaged through my bag for at least a little bit of room for my book. It wasn’t too thick, but I had crammed so much stuff into my bag that it didn’t seem like there was going to be any room left.

“Here,” Big Brother dropped down to my level and opened his much more organized school bag. “Go ahead and put it in here.”

I trusted few people with my books, especially this King Arthur book. Of course, Big Brother was top on my list. With a little more reorganizing, we managed to set my book inside his bag and we were off again. Just before we faced the rain, we covered our heads with our bags, our only meager defense against the onslaught.

I peered around Big Brother and scanned for shelter, any kind of shelter. We can’t afford to catch colds on our first week of school. I’m sure that even if we called in sick, no one was going to buy it and Sakura-san wouldn’t be able to make them say otherwise.

“Hikari! There!” Big Brother pointed towards a red awning of a boutique store. We made a mad sprint for it and sighed as Big Brother rested against the stone outcropping of the store entrance as I stood next to him, wiping my bangs out of my eyes.

A small ping from Big Brother’s phone chimed and he brought it up to his face.

“Hm?” His face scrunched up and his eyes widened.

“What is it Big Brother?” I inched closer to look at the phone. He brought it over to me without a word. It was that weird red app from the day we got here. “Didn’t you delete this?”

He nodded. “I didn’t tell you, but it appeared again the night before. I deleted it then too.”

“You don’t think it might be the work of a hacker, do you?”

“I don’t know but,”

As he was talking, a hooded petite figure, although a little taller than I was, walked under the awning next to Big Brother. When the person pulled the hood down, a beautiful girl with ash blonde hair and the bluest eyes I had ever seen appeared. The image of Guinevere, the faithful and pure rendition of her, came to mind and all I could think of was that this girl was the epitome of a fairytale princess. With her graceful figure and flawless complexion, I could have sworn she had leapt out of a storybook. Was she a foreigner? Although, if I looked at her closer, she had distinctly Japanese bearings. As I looked even further, her crystal lake blue eyes looked…so sad and forlorn.

Big Brother was not immune to her beauty any more than I was. The girl, noticing our stares, looked back at us. I quickly averted my eyes and stared at my brother’s back, although it didn’t look like he had moved away as well. As the silence lingered, my nerves grew and I tried to open my mouth and give a polite “good morning” like I knew I was expected to do, especially considering that our staring was nothing short of rude. But, as I peeked out from behind Big Brother, the girl graced us with a tiny smile and giggle. She might already be used to this kind of treatment. Even though she was the center of our attention, she wasn't haughty at all. But that wasn't permission to linger.

I tugged Big Brother’s sleeve and he was brought back to reality. He tore his eyes away and an awkward silence ensued.

Not long after, a white car pulled up in front of us. A black tinted window rolled down and revealed a well-built bushy haired older man wearing a blue track suit. He leaned out over the seat between him and the window.

“Good morning,” he greeted, presumably at the girl, “You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.”

“Um, sure. Thank you.” The girl’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant. But her expression was pleasant enough, so maybe she was just worried over troubling this man. I assumed that he was a teacher because he didn’t look like he might be related to her and she acted like she knew him enough to where he would be taking her to school like he said.

As the girl headed towards the car, the man shifted his gaze over to us. “Do you need a lift too?”

“Ah, nah,” Big Brother managed out with an awkward smile and wave.

“Are you sure? Your little sister might appreciate it.” He focused in on me. His smile was friendly enough, but something in his eyes made me move closer to Big Brother. “You are his sister, yeah? Wouldn’t you like a ride?”

I shook my head and gripped the back of Big Brother’s blazer. Big Brother smiled again and shifted so that he stood directly between me and the man.

“We’ll be fine. But thank you,” Big Brother insisted with a bit more force than earlier, his smile still plastered on his face.

Finally, the two of them began to drive off. I peeked my head out from behind Big Brother and, before the window rolled back up, the princess’s eyes were downcast and her posture slumped. That couldn’t be good. But then, why did she go with him if she was uncomfortable?

As they drove away, a guy with bleached yellow hair, not unlike the shade of the maiden’s natural blonde locks, ran past us before stopping to catch his breath. He was dressed in our uniform, but it had a…punkish style to it. I kind of liked it on him, but my parents would have thrown a fit if either Big Brother or I dared to dress in such a way.

It’s funny. My parents were the last people I wanted to think about and yet they kept popping up in my head. Hopefully that will change soon.

“Dammit… Screw that pervy teacher,” the guy swore.

“…Pervy teacher?” Big Brother echoed.

I stepped out from behind my “shelter”.

“Do you think that girl will be okay? With that teacher?” I asked.

The other guy turned around and his glare was enough to send me running back. He approached Big Brother with a grumpy expression.

“…What do you want?” he asked. “You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?”

“What do you mean?” Big Brother asked as I held onto his blazer’s sleeve.

The guy lost his glare and replaced it with confusion and a more relaxed posture. “Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida.” He clicked his tongue and looked over his shoulder in the direction where the car went. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is – the king of a castle? Don’t you agree?”

“Which castle?” Big Brother asked.

“Uh, it’s just a sayin’…” the other guy said. I couldn’t help but giggle. This talk of castles and kings while I was just thinking of how the girl from earlier looked like a princess seemed like a huge leap of fate. My favorite book in my brother’s bag was the frosting on top of the cake. The other guy blinked as if he hadn’t noticed me standing there earlier. His face reddened and he shrank a little. “S-Sorry for…uh…not seein’ you there.”

“It’s okay,” I said, stepping out from behind Big Brother while giving what I hoped to be a friendly smile. The guy smiled back before he frowned and looked between us.

“…Wait. You don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real?” he asked as he crossed his arms. “You two are from Shujin, right?”

“You go to Shujin too?” Big Brother asked.

The guy laughed as if he couldn’t believe us.

“What…? No other high school’s got a uniform like this.” He looked over Big Brother’s attire. “A second-year, huh… We’re the same grade then.” Then he looked over at me, though his scan was much quicker and less probing than what I felt like that teacher had given me. “And you’re a first year. You guys related?”

Big Brother nodded and gestured between us.

“I’m Akira Kurusu. And this is my little sister, Hikari.”

The guy nodded as he took in this information. “I understand not seein’ you around, since you’re just startin’ at Shujin,” he said to me before turning to Big Brother with a frown. “Never seen you before though.”

Big Brother looked down and fidgeted with his phone, which was still displaying that symbol, although now it looked more like a recording device. I grasped his free hand and gave it a squeeze, one that he returned soon enough.

“Oh, you guys transfer students?” the guy asked, piecing the puzzle together. We nodded and he sneered. “Then no wonder you don’t know him.” He looked at me like he was debating whether or not to say something. “If I were you, try to stay away from Kamoshida, okay?”

“Why?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Trust me. Just…stay away.” He turned to look at the sky and flashed a friendly smile. “This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up, or we’ll be late.”

As soon as he turned around, a sharp pain burst through my head and I would have doubled over if I hadn’t been holding onto Big Brother. This was worse than any headache I’ve ever had. Thankfully, the pain left as fast as it had arrived, but the shock of it left me disoriented and swaying on my feet. From the looks of the other two, they weren’t any better off. But strangely, no one else seemed as affected, if at all.

“Uuugh, my head hurts…” the guy moaned. “Dammit… I wanna go home…”

“Hikari, did you remember to bring your medicine?” Big Brother asked, straightening his glasses which had fallen down across the bridge of his nose.

I nodded.

“I have three packets inside one of the pockets. I’ll be fine,” I said. There was no way I was going to allow myself to not have anything on me. Not after the last time. Not ever again. Then we were on our way.

***

November

Eight months later, Akira shook his head in an effort to fight against the fog shrouding his memories. He had to focus. He had to. There was a reason why he was still fighting. The prosecutor was right there. Answer her questions. Give her the story.

“…There was a terrible subway accident that day. You remember it, don’t you?” Sae Niijima asked. “I assume you know of the uproar that the public calls the ‘psychotic breakdown incidents’.”

“What does that mean?” Akira managed to ask.

Sae Niijima only sighed and her eyes narrowed. She leaned forward. “It was all over the news, and one of the victims included a teacher at your high school. I’ve no doubt you heard about it. On that day…were you still an ‘ordinary’ student?”

“What do you mean?” Akira asked, evading her hawk eyes before turning back.

“…Let me change the question.” She drew back and folded her arms. “You and your sister transferred to Shujin Academy, correct?” He nodded. “An ordinary prep school that could be found in any city... That’s what it should’ve been. What happened around that time? Tell me everything – truthfully.”

***

April

We followed the guy to school. The rain began to pick up again, but at least it was a gentle pitter patter. Big Brother tucked his phone inside his blazer pocket and we walked around a set of steps toward an alley, which the guy claimed was a shortcut to the school. Since he seemed at least a little eager to get there, we could trust that he wasn’t leading us towards a prank trap or anything. Walking through the puddles, I was almost tempted to jump a little and make it splash like when I was younger.

But, of course, that wouldn’t suit someone of my age, so I had to resist. At least that’s what I kept telling myself while shoving down the regret.

So focused was I on my thoughts that I ran into Big Brother from behind.

“Big Brother?” I asked.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he looked behind us as if someone had been following us. I followed his gaze, but there was no one there. Then we heard a yell from in front of us.

“Wha…!?” 

It sounded like it was coming from the other guy. We picked up our pace and reached him where he stood frozen and mouth agape. When we looked in front of us, we could more than understand his position.

Right in front of us was a castle straight out of King Arthur’s tales shrouded by ominous violet clouds.


	6. The Tyrant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio tried to reach the school and they wound up finding a castle. What are they supposed to do about it? And how were they going to escape?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit, part of the reason why I stalled on continuing this work was become of the first dungeon that our heroes had to go through. But in order for the story to go on, we can't skip over what's hard and this is a part of the story in which Akira decided that enough was enough and, subsequently, so did Ann and Ryuji, which was important for their development and entry into the life of a Phantom Thief. I'm going to try and keep this as Teen rated as possible, so there will be a bit of obscurement, but I'm going to do everything I can to stay true to the story.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this and feel free to leave me a comment and feedback is much appreciated!
> 
> I do not own the Persona franchise. I only own Hikari.

How was this even possible? This had be some kind of farfetched school event that we hadn’t heard about because there was no way this could be a real castle. And yet, there it stood. Proud and strong and…there. My knees shook and my heart felt like it was going to fly out of my chest. This should have been a dream come true, seeing a castle like this that I had only ever read about in books. But every rational and irrational thought was screaming at me to step away and not look back.

“We didn’t…come the wrong way though…” the guy, my Senpai, said with equal disbelief, turning around behind us. Sure enough, there was the entrance from where we had come. If this was a surprise to him, and he was a regular student at Shujin, something has to have gone wrong. Senpai turned back around and peered at the bronze sign in front of the castle. It displayed the name “Shujin Academy”. “Yeah, this should be right… What’s goin’ on here?”

He turned to Big Brother and he looked back with a grimace.

“I guess we’ll just have to go and ask,” Senpai said.

They both started to walk towards the castle when I tugged on Big Brother’s hand, stopping him.

“Wait. Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked. Senpai and Big Brother looked at me. I shifted my feet under their stares. “I mean, maybe we could try to retrace our steps and find another way around?”

Senpai frowned and tucked his hands into his pockets.

“I get what you’re sayin’, but this is the best way to school and I don’t think turnin’ back is gonna do us any good.”

Big Brother smiled at me in reassurance and squeezed my hand.

“C’mon Hikari. We’ll just go inside and see what’s going on. If anything funny happens, we can run back outside and try retracing our steps. What do you think?” Big Brother asked.

I really didn’t want to. My feet and my stomach were begging me to not go into that castle, but I reasoned that as long as I wasn’t going in alone, especially since Big Brother was with me, then things might turn out alright.

And that’s how we wound up crossing the drawbridge and entered the castle gates of our “school”. The inside of the building was something almost straight out of my King Arthur book, crystal chandeliers, regal stair steps, suits of armor, everything. Although, for a moment, there was a brief image of a different building more akin to an actual school before turning back into a castle. Big Brother, the bleach haired guy, and I stood on a plush red rug and took in our surroundings. Again, this should have been a dream come true. But this atmosphere felt like nothing short of a nightmare. Without my book to hold close, my nerves ate away inside my stomach.

Still, I can’t be a coward. Not after I had promised to take care of Big Brother. No running. No crying. No screaming.

“Th-that’s weird… Where’s the school…?” Senpai asked, scratching his head.

“Where are we?” Big Brother asked, stroking a thumb across the top of my hand.

Senpai turned around with a frown and creased brow. “This SHOULD be the school… I think…” He drew out his phone and his frown deepened. “Out of service? Where’d we end up…?” He put it back in his pocket and scanned our surroundings. “The sign was for the school, right?”

“Yeah,” Big Brother agreed, tucking on a stray lock of hair as he mirrored our companion's frown. Meanwhile, I looked back out the castle's, school's, whatever this building was, door. Was it too late to turn back?

“Right!? You saw it too!”

I inched closer to the entrance while trying to catch their attention.

“Hey, guys? I think we should,”

Suddenly, clanging sounds approached us and a hulking figure dressed in dark grey armor, complete with a drawn sword and shield, while sporting a pale blue mask stalked towards us. I squeaked and tightened my grip on Big Brother’s hand. If I was cutting off his circulation, I would apologize for that later. As of right now, things were just getting too strange.

While I was trying to steady my breathing, Senpai sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as if this was some kind of joke that’s run on for too long. Meanwhile, Big Brother drew me a little closer to him. Judging by the grip of his hand on mine and his clenched jaw, he was as relaxed as I was. The gears in his mind were working overtime, trying to solve the mystery of this puzzle.

“Geez, you freaked me out…” Senpai acted as if this was more of a bother than a big problem. “Who’re you? You a student?”

I wished that was the case. Please let that be the case. Please let this just be an elaborate school festival. Something to explain this away.

Senpai approached the figure and smiled with ease, more impressed than I personally felt comfortable with.

“Man, you’re costume’s impressive… Is that armor real?” The person didn’t answer and Senpai crossed his arms. “C’mon, don’t just stand there. Say somethin’.”

More clanging sounds approached and suddenly we were approached by another armor clad soldier, sword drawn as well.

“…H-Hey, what’s goin’ on?” Senpai asked, his posture still off guard but his voice trembling only slightly.

“What is this…?” Big Brother asked and I tried to pull him back further away from the figures. But either I was trembling too hard and was too weak or he was still registering our way too strange situation.

“Dude, I don’t know!” he snapped at him and any sensation of ease he had was gone. The one who had approached us first stomped over to Senpai, sword gleaming in the chandelier’s light, and his eyes bugged out as he took a step back. “…This shit’s real.” The other one stepped closer as well and Big Brother pushed me behind his back, casting a protective arm over me. “C-Calm down! Time out, man!” He turned towards us and yelled. “We gotta run!”

“Got it,” Big Brother affirmed and pivoted towards me and pressed a hand against my back, urging me towards the door. But I was too frozen to run. My body wouldn’t obey my mind and heart’s screams.

“Stop standin’ around and run!” Senpai yelled. 

“Hikari! Go!” Big Brother urged.

Finally, I obeyed and ran towards the exit with the other two right behind me. But just as we closed in on our doorway to salvation, even more soldiers approached us, their swords all drawn, and the passage towards the entrance of the castle was blocked off. All hope of turning back and trying to find a rational solution in a rational world was gone. Now we had no choice but to face the nightmare that was ahead.

“Ugh, what’s with these guys!?” Senpai growled.

A soldier on his right charged into him, shield first, and sent Senpai crashing on the ground with a harsh thud.

“Gah!” Senpai struggled to get up on all fours and he tried to put on a brave face, but his fear was all too clear. “Oww… Y-You’re gonna break my bones, dammit! The hell you think you’re – Aagh!” They struck him again across the cheek. This time, blood was drawn as he coughed and spat it out.

“Senpai!” I screamed. I moved to help him up, but I barely put in two steps before I was also sent crashing to the ground. The sheer force of the blow made my whole body ache and my head came into contact with the ground, thankfully on the rug instead of the bare ground. However, that didn’t stop my head from spinning or stars dancing across my vision.

“Hikari!” Big Brother’s comforting body heat engulfed me as he scooped me up in his arms and cradled me close. I shook my head and tried to tell him I was fine, but I was still too dazed to be of any reassurance.

“Take them away!” a garbled male voice commanded, presumably from one of the guards.

And then things went black. The last thing I recalled was being pried from Big Brother’s safe and warm arms to being carried by cold steel.

***

Warm, callous fingers stroked my forehead and I gradually eased back into consciousness. When I opened my eyes, Big Brother, with a tired but somewhat relieved smile, knelt down on knee beside a rough wooden bed. Senpai, sitting not too far away, breathed out a huge sigh of relief.

“Geez. Don’t scare us like that,” Senpai nudged my book bag, which had surprisingly stayed with me despite our rough encounter. “Good thing you carried around extra Band-Aids.”

I sat up with Big Brother’s help and peeked inside my bag. Just like Senpai said, a few Band-Aids were missing and had been placed on Senpai’s cheek and on the right side of my forehead. I scanned over Big Brother, but he didn’t seem to have any visible injuries, though I doubt that he didn't come out without at least a couple bruises hidden beneath his uniform. I rummaged through my overstuffed bag further, past the notebook Sakura-san gave me, an extra book just in case I finished my other one, several pens and pencils, textbooks, miscellaneous notes for the perfect omelet I had been experimenting on, and various other things until I found my cell phone, a white rose charm Big Brother had bought me a couple years back clacking against it. I turned it on but, just as Senpai had noted earlier, still no service. I tucked it back inside.

“Is…everyone okay?” I asked, taking in my surroundings. We were in a jail cell, which was obvious by the barred door and less than welcoming atmosphere. The décor emphasized that it was also utilized as a torture chamber. Every instrument of pain from the days of yore were displayed, ranging from a mace, cat-o-nine-tails, and heavy metal chains to hold the prisoners in place. The sound of dripping water in the background completed the scene.

“We’re fine but…” Senpai began and looked around as well before shaking his head. “Looks like this ain’t no dream…” He kicked away a stray stone and growled. “Ugh, what’s goin’ on!?”

He ran towards the door and I almost jumped when I saw that with every step he took, dark pink, almost red, liquid splashed underneath him. When Big Brother shifted as he helped me stand up, the same thing happened to him. I took a couple steps to the side and found that the liquid followed me as well. This was most certainly not a dream, but how could this possibly be reality? But here we are regardless of what we knew to be dream and reality. Here, they were one and the same.

Senpai banged on the barred doors and yelled at the top of his lungs. “Hey, let us outta here! I know there’s someone out there!” He was still fuming as he walked back towards us. “Dammit, where are we!? Is this some kinda TV set…?”

A male’s scream rang out through the jail and I felt a cold dread creep up from my toes to the top of my head. That wasn’t normal. No one should be screaming like that. Big Brother, Senpai, and I ran towards the jail door, but we didn’t dare run out too far. Who knew what was going to leap out at us from the dark hallways in spite of the bars holding us in.

“Th-The hell was that just now…?” Senpai asked.

The moans and groans continued and I subconsciously scooched closer to Big Brother. If this dungeon was anything like the ones I read about, I don’t want to know what kinds of things were happening to the other prisoners.

“Whoa…” Senpai gasped. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa…” He and Big Brother stared at each other over my head. “You’re shittin’ me, right…?” He span around and paced across the room. “This is real bad…! Isn’t there some way outta here!? C’mon, we gotta do something!”

Taking Senpai’s frantic lead, Big Brother and I tore through the cell. In every dungeon, there had to be a way out. A hole in the wall from a crumbly foundation. A rusty knife to pick away at the lock. Maybe even a key an inefficient guard had dropped. The hero is always given a way out. Even when they were being led away to the gallows, the more successful heroes always gave a swashbuckling performance of hidden strength and determination to live.

With the amount of luck we were having though, our story was going to have a less glorious turn of events.

“Huh? You hear that?” Senpai asked.

We paused, unable to find hope looking any further, and strained our ears. A faint clinking sound. The three of us gathered at the barred cell door and peered out. A group of soldiers like the ones who had captured us approached our cell. One guard bore down on us and spoke with a smug voice.

“Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon,” the guard said. “Your charge is ‘unlawful entry’. Thus, you will be sentenced to death.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That couldn’t be possible. No way.

“Say what!?” Senpai shouted, echoing our sentiments.

“No one’s allowed to do as they please in my castle,” a familiar male voice chimed in. The guard from earlier stood aside as a smaller, no less imposing, figure approached. As he came closer, I did a double take. 

“Huh? Wait…” Senpai drew closer and studied the man in front of us. “Is that you, Kamoshida?"

“Kamoshida?” Big Brother asked in disbelief.

Sure enough, it was Kamoshida-sensei dressed in robe decorated with hearts of various colors and a golden crown on his bushy head. When I looked into his eyes, they weren’t the eyes I had seen earlier that morning, though I hadn’t been close enough to get an accurate eye color. But it wasn’t possible for a person to have glowing, golden optics. And yet, he did.

“I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it’d be you, Sakamoto…” Kamoshida-sensei sneered, disgust marred all over his chiseled features. The disgust quickly morphed into a smirk. “Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all, huh?” He turned towards us. “And you brought a couple friends this time…because you can’t do anything for yourself.”

Sakamoto-senpai yelled at Kamoshida-sensei to drop the act, but the longer we were in here, the less I doubted that this was some kind of act for the masses. Those glowing eyes boring into me, the trembling in my limbs, the way my brother tried to shield me from our captors, this couldn’t possibly be anything else but reality. But maybe Sakamoto-senpai didn’t want to acknowledge it. How could he? From the way he was acting, he and Kamoshida-sensei had less than savory history. This had to be some kind of prank the teacher was pulling order to get under Sakamoto-senpai’s skin. Any scenario to explain this away and make it less scary was favorable compared to the alternative.

“Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all.” Kamoshida-sensei scoffed, as if the sight of Sakamoto-senpai offended him. “Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me – the king.” He stroked his chin from underneath his robes and Big Brother shielded my eyes.

“Big Brother?” I whispered. But from the little vision I had left, Big Brother shook his head. It would be better if I didn’t see.

“The punishment for that is death.” Kamoshida-sensei declared, ignoring our exchange. “It’s time for an execution! Take him out!”

The sound of clanking armor came closer and Big Brother dragged me away from the door, allowing me to see again and pushed me behind him. Sakamoto-senpai backed away as well, the true gravity of our situation leaving him no choice but to accept what was happening. 

“S-Stop it…!” Sakamoto-senpai pleaded. But to no avail.

All the guards stepped inside and Big Brother and I were pushed up against the stone wall, Sakamoto-senpai cornered by the wooden beds. Kamoshida-sensei followed them in and I had to take in two deep breaths in order to ease my queasy stomach and my urge to cry.

‘No weakness. No weakness. No weakness.’ I kept this chant up inside my head. I was a knight. I had to be a knight. For the sake of my brother and our new friend. This man wasn’t my king. Never my king. But the closer Kamoshida-sensei came and the more the soldiers enclosed us, my feeble efforts of courage ebbed away.

I had no sword or shield. I didn’t know any martial arts and even if I did, how was that going to help us against a legion of armor-clad soldiers? If it had just been Kamoshida-sensei, I was sure that a quick group attack and a punch to the stomach would bring him down. But this soldiers served and obeyed without hesitation or remorse. There was no escaping this.

Sakamoto-senpai swore under his breath. He sucked in a deep breath and charged at one of the soldiers in front of him, which coincidentally happened to be the one keeping us pinned against the wall.

“I ain’t down for this shit!” He nodded towards the door. “C’mon, we’re outta here!”

But just as Sakamoto-senpai made his bold declaration, another soldier from the corner stormed towards him and swung a heavy fist into his stomach. The force of the hit sent Sakamoto-senpai flying towards the wall opposite ours and he slumped down to the ground with heavy groans of heartbreaking pain.

“Senpai!” I screamed and Big Brother and I charged the soldier similar to how he had earlier. But apparently we weren’t as powerful as Senpai was. The soldier didn’t budge.  
“Just go! Get outta here…! These guys are serious!” Sakamoto-senpai pleaded, barely able to lift his head though he still had the strength to worry about a couple students he had just met earlier that morning. He was the true knight of this story.

In spite of how hard we tried to shove the soldier away, he wouldn’t budge. And our actions and Sakamoto-senpai’s cries toward us were not ignored.

“Oh?” Kamoshida-sensei turned to us, his smirk still adorned on his lips. “Running away, are we? What heartless friends you are.”

Sakamoto-senpai struggled to stand up as he struggled to catch a decent breath.

“They ain’t my friends…” The comment stung a bit, but Sakamoto-senpai’s desperate expression begged us to understand. He was trying to cover for us in spite of what he knew was going to come to him. “C’mon! Hurry up and go!”

Kamoshida-sensei watched as we hesitated, even though this was an ample opportunity to leave if he didn’t feel like commanding his soldiers to go through the trouble.

“What’s the matter? Too scared to run away?” He scoffed. “Hmph, pathetic scum isn’t worth my time…” He nodded towards Sakamoto-senpai. “I’ll focus on this one’s execution…and…” He snapped his fingers and one soldier came out and seized me with both arms, lifting me up into the air. “I’ll think I’ll keep a little souvenir. At least until I get bored.”

“Big Brother!” I screamed, unable to move even my arms one inch within my cage.

“No!” Big Brother and Sakamoto-senpai cried. Sakamoto-senpai rose and tried to escape the soldiers surrounding him, but there was no hope for him as one of them grabbed him from behind and pinned his arms behind his back. Big Brother didn’t have any better fortune as the remaining soldier rammed against him and pointed a sword against Big Brother’s throat.

We were trapped. And there wasn’t anything we could do about it.

Kamoshida-sensei drew back a fist and, with a demented grin and wild glowing eyes, he punched Sakamoto-senpai in the stomach.

“Take this!” He drew back again and sent another punch flying. “Lowly scum!” Another punch. “Useless pest!” A punch that sent Sakamoto-senpai crumbling to the ground with a pained cry. Kamoshida-sensei spat on the weak form of my senpai and hot tears rolled down my cheeks at the bruises marring this brave knight’s weary face. “…Hmph. Where’d your energy from earlier go?” He gloated with a boisterous laugh. The soldier in charge of him picked him up by the collar of his blazer and sent Sakamoto-senpai rolling across the stone floor. “A peasant like you isn’t worth beating.”

This man wasn’t a king. He’s a tyrant. The kind of character that valiant heroes rose up against for the sake of the weak. He shouldn’t be winning. Not by any count.

Kamoshida-sensei approached Sakamoto-senpai with a sick grin. “I’ll have you killed right now.”

“Stop it!” Big Brother shouted. My brave, brave brother is still putting up a fight in spite of our despairing odds. But my admiration turned back to dread as the tyrant approached him.

“What…? Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am.” He drew closer to Big Brother and I struggled in my bonds. The tyrant smirked and got close to his face.  
From my position, the glare from Big Brother blazed with fury and he showed no quarter against the enemy. That was my king. The real king of the land. Such a display of power must have set Kamoshida-sensei off according to his feral growl akin to an alpha male being challenged by a younger alpha-to-be.

“That look in your eyes irritates me!” He thrust out a leg and kicked Big Brother to the ground. Big Brother’s back slammed against the wall and he fell to the ground, but he hardly made a sound as he struggled to get back up.

That was the last straw.

“Stay away from him!” I screamed. I kicked my legs as hard as I could and I managed to plant one heel against the soldier’s knee cap. It was enough to make the soldier stagger over and I squeezed out of my confinement. I charged over to the tyrant and connected a fist towards his jaw. He stumbled backwards, but I was rewarded with a fist to the stomach by my soldier and he grabbed my wrists with one hand, wrenched my arms backward, and tugged me backwards before forcing me onto the ground.

The tyrant chuckled and spat onto the ground. In the direction where Big Brother was, I thought I heard a distinctive growl.

“Did you expect that to hurt? Honestly?” He nodded at the soldier near Big Brother. “Hold him there… And you,” he gestured towards my soldier, “make sure she doesn’t slip from you again. I want her in one piece for…later on.” My stomach heaved and I forced down a whimper. “After the peasant,” the tyrant continued as he turned towards Sakamoto-senpai, still weak and sprawled out on the cold ground, “it’s his turn to die.”

Big Brother yelled and bolted up from his spot on the ground. Another soldier joined the previous one and pinned his shoulders against the wall. Big Brother struggled and fought against their iron grip, casting frantic looks between me and Senpai. But whatever plan Big Brother had, even I had to hope that it would work. It had to. Or we were all doomed.

Kamoshida-sensei approached Sakamoto-senpai, who pleaded for his life as the tyrant laughed in triumph. This was his moment. His glorious day. Nothing was going to steal away this savory treat.

Then Big Brother began to fidget, looking around him as if searching for something. Or someone. But there was no one else here but the tyrant, the soldiers, and Senpai and I. And yet, his face was screwed up in pain. He shook his head and his face tightened as he looked at Sakamoto-senpai as a soldier lifted him up from the ground via a one handed neck hold and raised his sword towards his head. Then he looked at me as my soldier forced me even further to the ground.

My soldier pulled my arms particularly hard and his free hand pressed against my back. The tyrant had told him to keep me in one piece, but at the rate this guy was going my arms were going to be ripped off. More tears slid down and I couldn’t help but cry out.

Big Brother writhed and struggled. So much so that the soldiers holding him down had to readjust their stances in order to accommodate his newfound surge of strength. He cried out as if some kind of wild animal was trying to break free. His struggles did not cease and sweat poured down his face. Until finally, with one final roar to the sky, he stilled. Then he lifted his head and, from behind his wide rimmed glasses, the fire from earlier lit up into an inferno.

“Execute him!” the tyrant ordered and pointed at Senpai with an outstretched arm, oblivious and uncaring towards my brother’s cries of agony. To him, it may have just been the acts of his soldiers keeping him in line. But Big Brother was far from subdued.

“That’s enough!” His declaration of war rang throughout the jail cell.

The tyrant halted and his arm drooped. Both he and the soldier holding Sakamoto-senpai turned to face his challenger.

“What was that..?” Kamoshida-sensei asked as the soldier brought Senpai down and released his grip on his throat. He scowled at Big Brother and all of his focus was reserved for him alone, the sick thrill of tormenting his other prisoner deflated for the moment. “You desire to be killed that much…? Fine!” He nodded towards the soldier on Big Brother’s left and it smashed its shield against my brother’s face, sending his glasses flying with a sickening crunch and him staggering back. 

But to my surprise, in spite of the force inflicted upon him, Big Brother was still standing. The soldier holding me down was so shocked that it wound up easing his grip enough for me to scramble away and rush over to Senpai, who was just barely swaying on his feet. Ignoring the soreness of my wrists and back, I moved to allow him to lean on me as we slumped down to the ground.

“You okay?” he whispered to me with a wince. I nodded but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Big Brother. 

In the short span of time since I moved, two soldiers crossed spears against his neck and another soldier approached him with a sword drawn. The tyrant raised an arm and the soldier drew on Big Brother, who had his eyes closed as if he were sleeping.

“Big Brother! Wake up!” I screamed.

His eyes flew open and a great wind sent the sword wielding soldier toppling to the ground and the other soldiers a few feet away. The tyrant covered his face until the wind died down. When it did, Big Brother raised his head and a white mask with black rimming his eyes appeared on his face. He patted the mask for a moment and proceeded to pull it off. However, the mask refused to budge. He pulled harder and harder until finally, with a final cry, it came off.

Underneath the mask revealed my brother, red liquid dripping down his face as a wide grin and glowing golden eyes graced his handsome face. Blue flames emerged from the blood on his face and then it consumed him. The flames danced and the figure of my brother was replaced with a monster. Red flames formed into a pair of eyes and a smile as a man’s laugh echoed in the small chamber. Finally, the blue flames rose away from my brother’s body with a clattering of chains and a gust of wind.

Big Brother, with the same maniacal grin and glowing eyes, was transformed out of his school uniform and into the outfit of a dapper man with a long black trench coat and suit. Completing his new look was a horned creature decorated in black, red, chains, wings, and claws.


	7. Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira has awoken to a new power and struck out against the tyrant. How is Hikari going to handle this new development? And how is a cat going to get them out of prison? What's a cat doing there in the first place?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the Persona franchise. I only own my OC, Hikari.

With a wave of Big Brother’s arms, the wind sliced throughout the prison cell and the tyrant and his guards were sent crashing against all sides of the tiny room. The guards crumbled and nothing stood to oppose us. The power Big Brother displayed brought the tyrant to his knees and whimpering. However, in spite of the great energy and turn of events, all that could be registered in my mind was this: My big brother, usually so quiet and calm, was more terrifying and awe inspiring than I could remember.

That wide, maniacal smile. The flames dancing around his form. The demon above him as if he were a sentry. Everything that Big Brother is doing…I can’t register this. What is going on?

“Wha… What the…?” Sakamoto-senpai asked beside me. But I couldn’t answer him.

Finally, the demon spoke in a deep, baritone voice. “I am the pillager of twilight – ‘Arsene’!” He spread his wings and the flow of great wind ebbed away. Big Brother looked down at his red gloved hands, his eyes grew and his jaw fell. Apparently he had calmed down enough to take in his situation properly. But I didn’t feel much better about this.

Big Brother, the person who had taught me right from wrong while our parents tried to conform us to their standards, who stood by me and accepted me for who I was, has become someone I hardly recognized. But at the same time, this felt somewhat…right.

“What the…?” Sakamoto-senpai began again.

“I am the rebel’s soul that resides within you,” the demon continued, “If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.”

Big Brother didn’t hesitate in answering him. “Give me power,” he beseeched.

The demon seemed to smirk. “Hmph, very well.”

“Who the hell are you…!?”

I jumped and nearly dropped Sakamoto-senpai. With what happened with Big Brother, I had forgotten about Kamoshida-sensei. He had escaped my brother’s attack and stood just outside the cell door. He was less intimidating than before, probably due to Big Brother’s drastic change of power, but he still had to be dealt with. In the state that Sakamoto-senpai and I were in, we couldn’t do much of anything. However, perhaps Big Brother could.

“Guards!” At their leader’s barking, the soldiers righted themselves. He pointed a finger at him. “Start by killing that one!” The soldiers turned in on themselves and their forms shook. With a blast of red and black, they transformed into jack-o-lantern ghosts complete with a witch’s cape, hat, and lanterns. With a smirk, the tyrant couldn’t help but boast. “You’ll learn the true strength of my men!”

From within the folds of Big Brother’s long jacket, he pulled out a pitch black knife and held it at the ready, his demon by his side and coaching his every move. 

“Detest the enemies before you! Change that animosity into power…and unleash it!”

“Persona!” Big Brother shouted this one word and the demon, Arsene, whipped his wings and a burst of red and white energy engulfed one the monsters. It unleashed a pained cry, but it got back up to fight. Meanwhile, the other monster charged towards Big Brother on his other side. I made to cry out a warning to him, but Arsene saw it coming. 

“Swing your blade!”

Big Brother moved in accordance to his prodding. With a flick of his dagger, Big Brother lunged and swiped at the monster. It backed off immediately and hid behind its compatriot. 

“This power of mine is yours!” Arsene flapped his wings and raised a claw with pride swelling in his voice. “Kill them however you want. Run wild to your heart’s content!”

The two monsters charged at Big Brother again. One of them caught him on his left side, but he spun and sent his dagger straight through the monster, making it disperse with a garbled cry. The other monster tried to swipe at him as well, but as if Big Brother had been preparing for this battle without my knowledge, he leapt back and flipped with the utmost grace as the monster swung its lantern at him. He sidestepped it, removed his mask, and summoned Arsene once again. With one last blast of red and white energy, the jack-o-lantern monster joined its friend in the netherworld.

In the span of not even two minutes, Big Brother had won the battle. 

“What… What was that just now…?” Sakamoto-senpai breathed out.

My brother turned to look at us and I flinched. Though the person in front of us had acted as our savior, it was hard to register that this person was also Akira Kurusu, my dear big brother whom I thought I had known better than anyone else. When did this happen? How? Did this have anything to do with his reaction the first time he touched that app?

When we came to this city, I had planned on protecting Big Brother from all the naysayers who would attempt to prevent him from having a free future again. In fact, I had packed extra Band-Aids and medicine just in case he had gotten into a fight at school with anyone who dared to lay a finger on him.

Though, if I was being honest, a more ugly part of me sneered and told me that that was just an excuse. And now here I am, cowering in front of what I don’t know and not knowing how to react.

At my reaction, Big Brother looked down and he gasped as he fully examined his new attire. In the heat of battle, of course his first concern would be taking out the fiends who had threatened us. Now that he had taken in his appearance, and sheathed his dagger, he walked towards us with hands raised. But before he could do anything, the tyrant rushed into the jail cell, his glare as sharp as my brother’s dagger.

“You little…” Kamoshida-sensei growled. 

Sakamoto-senpai pushed up from his position and charged at him. From the corner of my eye, I spied our book bags underneath the wooden beds and I seized them just as Kamoshida-sensei let out a roar. I secured the bags and watched as he fell to the ground with a thud, silver keys falling out of the folds of his cape, probably from an inner pocket. Watching him fall like that was quite satisfying, but I had no time to revel in my thoughts. We had to leave. Now. 

“The key!” Big Brother shouted.

“I got it!” I lunged towards the keys and grabbed them before Kamoshida-sensei could come around. The three of us charged out of the cell and the guys slammed the door shut and held it there as I experimented with each key until I found the one that fit. Finally, I jammed the key into the lock, sealing the tyrant away.

“Done,” I announced and twirled the ring of keys with a finger, for once feeling quite confident now that the would-be king has been dealt with.

“Damn you!” Kamoshida-sensei scrambled to his feet and rubbed his head from where he had fallen.

Crisis averted, Sakamoto-senpai focused in on Big Brother.

“Hey…! What was that just now!?” he asked. “And…your clothes…!”

I stopped twirling the keys and nodded.

“Yeah,” I said, “I mean, since WHEN could you do that?”

I know that it’s childish of me, and maybe even slightly selfish, but if Big Brother had been able to do something like this, wouldn’t he have told me? It was our unspoken creed that we kept no secrets from each other and if we had a problem, we would solve it together. To have this kind of power and to be able to fight like that, it wasn’t normal. Big Brother was definitely no weakling, and he had saved me from a bully or two back when I was in elementary school, but this was something else entirely.

Big Brother shrugged helplessly and frowned.

“This is a first for me. I didn’t know that I could,” he was interrupted by a burst of light and then he reverted back to his school uniform.

“Whoa, it went back to normal…!?” Sakamoto-senpai gasped.

Before I could question Big Brother any further, the reason for our predicament rattled the jail cell bars in a death grip and cursed at us.

“God, this’s effin’ nuts!” Sakamoto-senpai said. “Anyways, let’s scram! You lead the way!”

After I threw the keys away into the river near the cell, and gave the guys back their bags, we proceeded to escape from the castle. From behind, Kamoshida-sensei ordered his soldiers to capture us. 

There was no time to question Big Brother further. Though even if I did, what was I going to say? Heck, what COULD I say? In all our time living back in the country, we’ve never been in this kind of situation. I daresay that no one has ever been in this kind of situation for that matter. This was something one could only imagine happening in a book or a video game. And this was neither.

But rather than focusing on my personal feelings, focusing instead on escaping and not getting captured feels like a much better idea. While this was still a less than favorable side trip, being able to explore a dungeon was definitely an experience I wanted to remember, if at least for a future writing reference. It was everything that I could have imagined a medieval dungeon would look like. Barrels and crates. Water dripping from chains hanging overhead. Even a small waterfall that fed into the dank river.

When we got to the end of the road, we came across a locked door, preventing any further exploration. Big Brother attempted to ram it open much like how Sakamoto-senpai had taken down Kamoshida-sensei and one of the other soldiers from earlier, but he had no luck.

“It ain’t openin’!?” Sakamoto-senpai hissed. “Dammit! Let’s try and find another way through!”

To our right, the rush of water gurgled past the jail bars and large stones. I stepped closer and peered at the rocks. While the sides were mossy and slick, the top of the rocks seemed dry enough that our footing would be swift and true. On top of that, they were large enough that we could walk across without much difficulty.

“Big Brother, Sakamoto-senpai,” I called. “I have an idea.”

Before they could stop me, I hopped towards the first stone. As soon as one foot made contact with the hard surface, I began to wobble.

“Hikari!” Big Brother inched closer and stretched out a hand while Sakamoto-senpai grabbed the strap of his bag. “Hold on. Grab my,”

“I’ve got it,” I cut back. I stretched out my arms and held them up while tentatively placing my other foot on the stone step. I winced at my tone, which was sharper than I had intended. As the younger sibling, it was expected that I could depend upon my older brother to be able to take care of me in my time of need. If anything, Big Brother was doing an exemplary job in protecting me. Just like always. But I came here to help him, not become a burden.

I wobbled backwards and Big Brother grabbed my upper right arm. With his help, he steadied me and I was able to gather my bearings. He didn't release me even as I took another step towards the next stone. With each step I took, Big Brother and Sakamoto-senpai followed suit. Finally, we crossed over and stepped away from the stone bridge, my brother releasing my arm as soon as he was sure that I was safe on the ground.

“Whew. We made it,” Sakamoto-senpai laughed. “Good eye there, uh, Hikari-chan, right?”

“Glad to have helped,” I smiled, trying to shove down my embarrassment. Once again, Big Brother had come to my rescue instead of vice versa. Well, to be honest, I am happy that Big Brother still took the time to care for me in spite of our troubling situation. But this wasn’t the time to be sentimental.

We continued our exploration until we came down a hallway and found an empty jail cell with a hole large enough for us all to crawl through. Big Brother went through first and then Sakamoto-senpai went behind him before I followed. A cobweb brushed against my nose and I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth, a tip Big Brother had taught me once a few years back. It’s still no time to be sentimental, but it’s nice to be able to recall pleasant memories in the midst of our crisis.

Once we all exited the hole and the cell it had been connected to, we came across a drawbridge. For a moment, I imagined that we were rouge agents escaping a cruel fate upon the dawn of our execution. Which may as well be true all things considered, but it was more fun to think of this as a storybook adventure that we got to reenact.

“Get down,” Big Brother whispered, pulling me out of my thoughts. Sakamoto-senpai and I knelt down behind him near a pile of crates. Clanking sounds drew closer and for a moment, I thought the pounding of my heart was going to alert the soldiers of our position. Considering how they had fought earlier after dropping their armor, and who knew if Big Brother would be able to pull off his trick from earlier, bumping into enemies would end us.

“Over there…” Sakamoto-senpai whispered, peering over the crates ever so slightly. “They’re lookin’ for us, right? I ain’t playin’ along with this anymore! We gotta find a way outta this goddamn place!”

Eventually, despite the noise in my chest, the clanking left and breathing became easier. Big Brother nodded his head and the three of us crept away from our spot. Around the corner, we were led to a series of steps that lead upwards. At the top of the stairs, we reached a large oaken door.

“I-Is this…the exit!?” Sakamoto-senpai gasped. “Hey, let’s get the hell outta this place!”

But when we got through the door, the room we entered looked much like the first room. Sakamoto-senpai’s jaw dropped.

“This ain’t the exit!? What the hell is this place!?”

With no other choice, we went through another doorway until Sakamoto-senpai stopped us in our tracks, his eyes locked on something over the river. A piteous groan rang out. Upon closer inspection, there was a jail cell hanging from above the water. Inside it, there was a person wearing a white hood over their face.

“We really did hear people screamin’… So we ain’t the only ones who got captured!”

As much as we would have loved to help though, there was nothing we could do. Without a means to reach them or a safe way to bring them over to land, our hands were tied. We walked onwards with reluctance, though I couldn’t help but notice a strange statue head of Kamoshida next to a drawbridge. The bridge was up, so we couldn’t access it. But there must be a way to bring it down.

“Another dead end…?” Sakamoto-senpai sighed. I turned towards the two and they slumped over, exhausted. Though the adrenaline had been enough to keep me going, I was in no better a state than them. “Dammit! How the hell’re we supposed to get outta here!?”

We were officially trapped and our luck was running out. So far, we had been able to avoid the soldiers. But if we turned back now, then we were going to be taken and maybe even killed on the spot. Without an accessible bridge, we were stuck.

“…Hey, you there.” a small boyish voice called out on our left. “Blondie! Frizzy hair! Miss! Look over here!”

We peered inside an adjacent jail cell and I almost squealed. An adorable cat-like thing with a tiny yellow bandana waved his little paws at us as his large blue eyes stared up at us pleadingly. With everything that’s happened, if we were going to come across another oddity here, I would heavily prefer a cute talking fur ball.

“What is this thing!?” Sakamoto-senpai yelled.

“You’re not soldiers of this castle, right!? Get me out of here!” the cat pleaded. He pointed a paw towards a set of keys hanging on a hook next to the cell.

“Of course! Just give me a second,” I said, racing towards the keys and taking them off the hook. 

“Thank you so much, Miss!” the cat purred. But before I could experiment with them, Big Brother and Sakamoto-senpai stopped me.

“Hold on Hikari,” Big Brother warned me.

“But,”

“We’re trying to get the hell out of here…!” Sakamoto-senpai cut in, gesturing towards the cat. “I mean, that thing obviously looks like an enemy too!”

The cat sighed and rolled his eyes.

“I’m locked up here, so how can I be your enemy!?” he turned towards me, his large eyes pleading. “Please Miss, help me out!”

Big Brother took a step closer and peered at the cat, as if assessing whether he really was a threat or not.

“…a cat,” he mumbled.

Immediately, he bristled and his fur stood on end.

“I am NOT a cat! Say that again and I’ll make you regret it!”

And with that remark at my brother, the cat suddenly became a little less cute. But clanking and heavy footsteps were closing in on us from the hallway we had just come from. 

“They’re catchin’ up already…!” Sakamoto-senpai balked.

I stepped towards the cell, keys jangling in my hands.

“If we let you out of here, will you help us escape? We don’t have much time.”

The cat, or “not a cat”, nodded vigorously. “I promise! Cat’s honor!”

“You better not be lying…” Big Brother said, eyeing the cat.

The cat waved his paws. “I’m not lying! It’s the truth!”

“This thing sounds like it’s all talk…” Sakamoto-senpai grumbled, but he didn’t make a move to stop me from inserting the first key into the lock.

Big Brother and Sakamoto-senpai stood guard while I worked. The creature whispered encouragement and tried to suppress his hisses when a key didn’t work. However, eventually I found the right one. With that, he was free. He strode out of the cell and stretched out his arms with a carefree smile.

“Ahhhh… Freedom tastes so great…” the cat purred.

“Now, where’s the exit, monster cat!?” Sakamoto-senpai demanded, balling his fists.

The cat hissed and arched his back. “Don’t call me a cat! I am Morgana!”

Just like the enchantress and half-sister of King Arthur…! I almost squealed again but this wasn’t exactly a good time.

Sakamoto-senpai sighed in exasperation. “Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again!?”

Morgana flicked his ears and his tail quirked. “A-All right, sheesh!” He gestured with a paw over his mouth and whispered. “Follow me, and stay quiet!” And off he padded with us in tow.

***

Back at the school, with nearly half the day already gone by and no sign of the two new students, Sadayo’s wish of not getting involved with the Kurusu siblings was growing with each second.

“…It’s fourth period already,” Sadayo said, having had no better sleep last night than she did the night before. “Sakura-san said that the two of them left the house this morning. Should I contact the police…?” She shook her head and dismissed the notion, staring at the mounding paperwork she had to attend to. “No, that’ll just be more of a hassle…” She sighs again and wished she could bury her head under her blankets at home and pretend for a moment that all the stress in her life didn’t exist. “What did I do to deserve this…?”

***

Morgana led us towards the drawbridge and stared at the statue.

“What’re you doin’?” Sakamoto-senpai asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Morgana answered with a smart grin. “I’m lowering the bridge.”

I snapped my fingers and laughed. Strange considering our circumstances, as the glances Big Brother and Sakamoto-senpai gave me affirmed. But it was such a classic trick! How did I not see it earlier?

“Because that’s the key,” I explained, “the statue holds the trigger that will make the bridge move.”

“Exactly,” Morgana agreed, his grin not diminishing. He gestured towards the statue and gave a slight bow. “Would you care to try it Miss? Try checking around the mouth of this statue.”

With a hum, I skipped up to the statue and pulled the lower jaw. However, I yelped and backed again when the jewels shone a brilliant yellow. I stumbled backwards and Big Brother caught me as the bridge lowered, just as Morgana promised.

“Are you okay?” Big Brother asked. I looked up at him and for a moment, I saw the black and white mask that had adorned his face earlier. From behind his mask, concern brimmed through his eyes. Then I blinked and it was gone. I quickly stood back up and straightened my blazer.

“I’m fine. Just startled,” I said.

Big Brother walked past me and ruffled my hair like he had done so many times before. He smiled at me, that signature smile that reassured me that everything was going to be okay.

“Good work out there by the way, with the steps and everything,” he said, “and nice punch.”

Heat rushed in my face as I remembered how I had hit Kamoshida-sensei and shame caused me to avert my gaze. How dare I? No matter what form he took, Akira Kurusu is still my beloved big brother. Looking at it from another point of view, our cries for help had been answered and it just so happened that Big Brother held the power to save us all. Me acting all stubborn and bratty was no better than a slap in the face for the person who had done so much for me.

“Y-You were g-great too…” I admitted.

“Hey! You two!” Morgana yelled at us as he and Sakamoto-senpai ran across the bridge. “Keep up or we’ll leave you behind!”

As soon as we caught up to them and crossed the bridge, our elation of finding freedom was short lived as we came across another soldier.

“A-Aah! Shit… Shit, it’s them!” Sakamoto-senpai screeched to a halt and flailed his arms, falling backwards. Big Brother was immediately surrounded by bright light and transformed back into his black clothes, pushing me behind him.

“Tch… You amateur!” Morgana taunted, leaping up and landing beside Big Brother with nothing but confidence in every stride. “Stay still!” He turned from Sakamoto-senpai and gestured to my brother. “Hey, you! You could fight, right? Let’s go!” With a spin and a flick of his tail, light began to surround Morgana like it had done Big Brother. “Come! Zorro!”

I covered my eyes as light flooded the area. When it dissipated and I removed my hand from my eyes, a large figure clad in black wielding a thin blade stood above Morgana as it cut a “Z” into the air. Unlike the swagger from Arsene, this thing, Zorro, had a more noble air to it. Much like how a cat would act.

“Y-You got one of those things too!?” Sakamoto-senpai asked and trembled. I fell onto my hands and knees, once again reminded of the surreal atmosphere we were in. As the soldier burst and took on its other form, Morgana smirked and folded his arms.

“Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!” he declared.

And so they did. With Morgana’s help, Big Brother’s blade was backed up by the cat’s own little sword. As Big Brother focused in on one enemy, Morgana faced the other, each giving their respective monsters sharp blows. When they were blown back, Arsene and Zorro were summoned in turn so that whatever their companions hadn’t been able to strike, they made up for it in tandem.

As Morgana promised, the enemies were gone. Since there were so few of them, though they were dangerous nonetheless, they had been dealt with in short order. 

“Not bad,” Morgana admitted as Sakamoto-senpai and I rejoined them. “Your Persona’s pretty powerful.”

“Persona…? Y’mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?” Sakamoto-senpai asked.

“Yes. You saw how Frizzy Hair here ripped off his mask when he summoned it, right?” Morgana said. “Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that…”

“Then the Persona comes out,” I concluded. One burst of light later, Big Brother was back to normal. “Is that going to happen every time too?”

Morgana hummed and looked him up and down. When he spoke, it was towards Big Brother. “Hm, it looks like you don’t have full control over your power yet.” He turned towards me. “To answer your question, the transformation shouldn’t normally dissolve like that. After all –”

“Rrgh, that’s enough! This crap doesn’t make any sense!” Sakamoto-senpai snapped and messed up his hair in his frustration.

“Can’t you just sit still and listen for once, Blondie!?” Morgana snapped back.

Sakamoto-senpai stomped his foot. “Don’t call me Blondie! My name’s Ryuji…”

Before anyone could say anything further, Morgana shook his head and swished his tail. “Actually, there’s no time for me to lecture you! You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let’s go!” He paused before tugging my bag. “But hey, before we go, you better hold onto these.” I unzipped my bag and Morgana placed three small blue bottles inside. “If anything happens to you or if you can sneak this to us in the middle of battle, use these to heal.” He turned back towards the hallway. “Come on, we should hurry. It’s not much farther to the exit.”

We have to hang on a little more. Just a little more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos! I hope you enjoyed it! :)


	8. Freedom...for now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has come across many strange things, but they are getting closer to the exit. Though they had escaped the craziness, Ryuji still seemed unsettled by everything that happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the Persona franchise. I only own my OC, Hikari.

Ryuji-senpai had to be pried away from what he had seen in the dungeons. It was ironic considering he had told us to hurry up earlier, but seeing those people seemed to strike a chord in him. If we had allowed him, he would have yanked every cell door open in order to save them. However, with regret, this wasn’t the time or place. If we wanted to escape without the guards catching up, we had to leave them behind. But Ryuji-senpai wasn’t going to budge without a fight.

“Hold on, dammit!” 

“What is it? We need to go, fast!” Morgana snapped.

“But…who are these guys?” he asked.

“Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now!? Besides, they’re –”

“There!” While the two of them had been arguing, the closed off drawbridge in front of us lowered to a soldier running towards us with its sword drawn and at the ready.

“You should’ve listened to me…!” Morgana groaned.

“Let’s fight.” Big Brother said as light surrounded him once again and he transformed into his black outfit.

Now that I’ve gotten over my little fit, I have to admit: Big Brother looked so cool! Not that he wasn’t cool before, but the long black coat flowing behind him gave him the air of nobility and power that I could only imagine the more daring of heroes in my books could exude. With the combination of his black tuxedo-like outfit, red gloves, and beyond graceful battle moves, he was even better than any hero I could have dreamed up.

But of course, that’s because this was real. And so was my hero.

Morgana gave Big Brother a toothy smile as he swished his little sword.

“I’m glad you stick to your guns.”

“Hikari,” Big Brother called to me over his shoulder, “make sure you have that medicine ready. I’m counting on you.”

I nodded, warmth blooming in my chest at his words, and rummaged through my bag for the little medicine bottles. “Got it!”

“How do we use ’em?” Ryuji-senpai asked.

“Just open it, think about the one you want to heal, and you’ll be fine!” Morgana said, his full attention on the shadow. “Looks like it’s raring to go too!”

When the soldier reached us, its form expanded and burst until two blue pixies emerged. If I remembered my lore correctly, pixies were notorious for pranking humans and causing mayhem to their property back in the olden days. Unlike the friendly, wish granting fairies from the storybooks Big Brother used to read to me when we were little, these creatures definitely looked far from friendly.

Big Brother and Morgana charged at the pixies and they swiped their blades at them. Pixies, lithe little beings that they are, dodged both of their attacks with high pitched giggles. Morgana hissed as he skidded to a halt and summoned Zorro. The swordsman flicked his sword and cast a gale of green wind at one of the fairies and he managed to do some damage to enemy. Big Brother, apparently still trying to accommodate to his new powers, fumbled as a pixie collided against his face.

I gripped a blue bottle and prepared to uncork it. Ryuji-senpai stepped up beside me and balled his fists.

“If you need to get in there, I’ll cover you,” he said, shifting his feet.

“Thank you Senpai,” I said.

Big Brother shook his head and moved to remove his mask, summoning Arsene. Instead of the burst of red and white light that he usually used, the large Persona came down on the pixie with his massive claws. In an instant, the pixie was reduced to nothing, but not without unleashing one last blast of electricity at Big Brother.

“Agh!” It hit him directly and sent him tumbling to the ground.

“Big Brother!” I sprinted out into the fray, Ryuji-senpai close behind while Morgana worked on the remaining pixie. Kneeling down next to him, he couldn’t move aside from bare amounts of trembling. He stared up at me as I uncorked the bottle and proceeded to pour it where I thought the pixie had struck him. But just as soon as I had taken out the stopper, the bottle lifted into the air, burst into a small blue light, and rained itself over Big Brother’s form. One moment, he was on the ground. At the next, he was back on his feet and rushing over to help Morgana finish off the elusive enemy.

With one last swipe of Big Brother’s knife and Morgana’s sword, the pixie had fallen. In the next instant, Big Brother’s transformation had reverted to normal.  
“All right!” Morgana crowed. “Let’s get away before more show up!”

“Hold on, we can’t just leave these guys here…!” Ryuji-senpai pleaded, gesturing towards the prison cells where a guy in a red track suit, possibly a student, was lying face down. Morgana shook his head, his eyes screaming frustration.

“You really don’t get it, do you? Hrgh… There’s no time to explain.” He turned towards the drawbridge with a flick of his ears. “Look, I’m going. If you don’t want to follow, be my guest!” Without another word, the cat left us behind.

Ryuji-senpai shook his head, as if the thought of leaving these guys behind was the last thing he wanted to do. But none of us had the luxury to save any more prisoners today. It had been risky enough saving the prisoner who was now leading the way out.

“Dammit… Fine, I’m coming!” He ran off in the direction Morgana had gone with us in tow. As we ran off, without a word, Big Brother patted my head and I smiled.

After a while, we finally reached a set of stairs that led up towards a light. From my vantage point, I could see the bottom tips of what appeared to be a chandelier. As Morgana lead up further up the stairs, we realized that he had lead us right back to where we had entered the castle. But instead of heading straight towards the front door like I had expected, Morgana bolted past it and lead us in to a narrow hallway with one door on our left, another one a little further in front of us, and a bookcase crammed with old books and a volleyball here and there.

Though the volleyballs wouldn’t have been my choice of decoration, it would have been nice to take a peek at those books. But sadly, this wasn’t exactly the kind of place where I could relax and do such a thing.

“We’re here!” Morgana said as he came to a stop. Ryuji-senpai gasped out in relief and he slumped over, the exhaustion of our “trip” finally catching up to him. And if I was being honest, I wasn’t much better off. Nor did it look like Big Brother was either.

“Finally! We’re saved…!” Ryuji-senpai cried. He rushed towards the door further down and the hallway and attempted to budge it open. However, instead of swinging open and granting us freedom, it remained unmovable. “…It’s not openin’!” He turned to Morgana and glared. “D’you trick us, you jerk!?”

Morgana jumped and waved a paw, apparently unconcerned with Ryuji-senpai’s accusation. “Don’t jump to conclusions! Over here!” He proceeded to skip through the door on our left.

“H-Hey, wait up!” Ryuji-senpai called after him.

Big Brother and I followed Morgana, Ryuji-senpai on our tails, up to a dead end. With nothing but a few shelves, a crossed window that lead to nothing but darkness, and three stone walls in the room, this was an unlikely exit.

“Are…you sure this is the right way?” I asked, scanning the room in order to make sure I hadn’t overlooked something.

“Of course!” Morgana purred and grinned. “I wouldn’t dare lead a lady in need down the wrong path. I am a gentleman after all.”

Ryuji-senpai rolled his eyes and bristled. “Yeah well, where are we supposed to get out from here!? There aren’t even any windows!”

Morgana’s smile quickly morphed to a pitying frown and he rolled his eyes. “Ugh, amateur…” he mumbled. “This is the most basic of basics.”

Big Brother looked around the room and his eyes strayed towards the crossed windows. He took a step closer and examined it. “A ventilation shaft?”

Morgana perked up and his tail waved. “I knew you would catch on. You guys should be able to squeeze through it one at a time.”

“I see…” Ryuji-senpai pressed a hand against his shoulder and stretched it in a series of circles. “Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!” He set his stance into a charging position. “And a one, and a –” He blasted off, jumped atop one of the shelves, and gripped the mesh before yanking it back. But Ryuji-senpai must have used more force than needed because at one moment, he was standing on top of the shelf with the mesh in his hands. Then at the next, with a thunderous crash, Ryuji-senpai toppled to the ground with the mesh on top of him.

“Senpai! Are you okay!?” I rushed towards him and he coughed.

“Oww… Crap!” He lifted his head, new bruises added on top of his earlier ones. “The enemy didn’t hear us, did they?” 

I uncorked another blue bottle as Big Brother heaved the mesh off and over to the side. Just like last time, the medicine burst into a ball of light and fell upon Ryuji-senpai’s battered form. The Band-Aid that had been on his cheek fell away and the bruises faded as he sat up with renewed strength.

“Thanks for that,” he said, standing back up, “maybe you should try that out too. For your head.”

I brushed the side of my head and felt the bandage still on it. For a moment, I debated the pros and cons of using the medicine. Though my body ached from the soldier’s treatment back at the cell, and my knees were skinned, I didn’t have any visible bruises and it wasn’t like a tiny thing like this was going to raise eyebrows. Big Brother and Ryuji-senpai had endured greater damage than I have, so it would be a waste.

But on the other hand, how was I going to explain unexplainable medicine in case someone tried to rifle through my bag? It’s happened before back in my last year of elementary school. An old classmate and bully, Maki Kojima, had gone through my bag and stolen a small baggie of cookies I had made in home economics that I had planned on giving to Big Brother later. When I tried to get them back, the teacher came towards us and Maki attempted to make it look as if I was the culprit who tried to steal her cookies instead of the other way around. It almost looked like the teacher was going to believe it until Tomoya Maruyama, my baking partner, stepped in and told the truth. As proof, she presented her share of the cookies we had baked. We were the only ones to make sugar cookies with pink frosting and sprinkles made to shape out a heart. If it had been closer to Valentine’s Day, it would have been harder to believe. But it was early January and Kojima had no excuses.

On that day, Tomoya, a spunky little tomboy with bobbed hair and an infectious smile, stood up for me when she didn’t have to. Our partnership had been randomly assigned by the teacher, but fate lead us to being close friends until she moved to America after seventh grade. We tried to stay in touch, but eventually we stopped. Maybe life had been too busy for her to get in contact or she had gotten bored with our friendship. I didn’t want to believe the latter, but without anything to confirm or deny those feelings, I didn’t know what to think. At least I didn’t have to face her before leaving for the city. Although Kojima, who had followed me to middle school, had no problem with trashing my “criminal brother” behind my back. I would have punched her the same way I had punched Kamoshida-sensei if the fact I would’ve been expelled or lost any chance of going to Shujin hadn’t stopped me.

I shook away those bothersome thoughts and decided that it was better safe than sorry. If I or Big Brother appeared too disheveled when we got to school, who knew what the teachers were going to think? On top of that, I didn’t have an injury on my head this morning and Sakura-san was a witness. How was I going to explain that without him dragging Big Brother or me through the coals?

I uncorked the bottle and the same blue light from earlier swept over me. Immediately, my body felt light and the aching in my knees, wrists, and stomach vanished. The Band-Aid slipped off my head and glided to the ground. It was no wonder that Big Brother and Ryuji-senpai were able to spring back up so quick. If doctors were able to get their hands on this, who knew what they could accomplish?

“Seriously, we’re finally getting’ outta here…!” Ryuji-senpai whispered, relief radiating out of him.

But Morgana was quick to bring him down to earth as I stood up.

“You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out,” he said, “Now, get going.”

“But…what about you?” Ryuji-senpai asked with a frown.

“There’s something that I still have to do,” Morgana explained, “We’re going our separate ways.”

“Thanks,” Big Brother said with a tiny smile. Morgana smiled back at him.

“Heh. You’ve got manners. Be careful on your way.”

Ryuji-senpai scrambled up the shelves and Big Brother followed him. I looked back at Morgana and regretted using the potion on myself. I hadn’t, then I would have been able to give it to him and feel better about leaving him behind.

“Are you going to be alright by yourself, Morgana?” I asked.

Morgana purred and brushed his whiskers. How he ISN’T a cat even though he insists he’s not, I’ll never guess.

“Don’t worry Miss,” he assured, “I know my way around here and I can always find more potions if I need to. Besides, I gave you those specifically for you all to use.”

“But,”

“You should get going,” he interrupted softly, “those guys will get worried if you don’t catch up.”

“Hikari!” Big Brother called through the vent.

“Hikari-chan! You comin’!?” Ryuji-senpai echoed.

Though Morgana had tried to ease my thoughts, I was still reluctant to leave him behind. Perhaps it was because, in spite of his sharp tongue, he was a cute little fuzz ball who shouldn’t be left alone with a tyrant and his monster guards. On the other hand, it wasn’t like we had much of a choice. So I followed the two towards what was hopefully a world that made more sense.

***

As Hikari and the two boys left, Morgana hummed and crossed his furry arms. 

“Those three seem useful… Especially the frizzy-haired one, if my judgement’s right…”

***

Finally, finally, finally we were out of there. The city sunshine was almost blinding after being in such dim settings for so long, but the clean air and the feeling of sheer freedom was enough to make me want to cry.

“Did we make it…?” Ryuji-senpai wheezed, his hands on his knees.

A ping went off in Big Brother’s back pocket and he took out his phone as it called out in a female’s robotic voice.

“You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.”

Ryuji-senpai straightened up and stared at it.

“Huh? Returned…?” He frowned and scrunched his eyebrows. “…Does that mean we got away?”

“Probably,” Big Brother said as he put his phone away. Ryuji-senpai sighed and scratched his head.

“I dunno what to think anymore…” he mumbled.

“But at least we’re safe now,” I remarked, “it could have been a lot worse.”

Ryuji-senpai nodded, but he didn’t look too reassured. “That’s true. But…now what?” He shrugged and looked at the two of us. “I mean, what was all that anyways…? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat!” He closed his eyes and stomped his foot. “The hell’s goin’ on!?”

“What’s with the yelling? Are you students of Shujin?”

My stomach dropped as two police officers approached us, one more stern and aggressive than the other who was strolling around with a bicycle. Although the bicycle one tried to look friendly enough, it didn’t help my nerves from rattling my system. I would have liked to think that after our adventure, my nerves would have turned to steel. But unfortunately, some changes don’t always happen in the span of a few minutes. I grabbed Big Brother’s hand on a reflex. He squeezed my hand in return.

“Cutting classes, are we?” continued the aggressive officer.

“Huh? No!” Ryuji-senpai exclaimed, gripping his bag, “We were tryin’ to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!”

The aggressive officer sighed and raised an eyebrow. “…What?” He held out a hand. “Hand over your bag. You better not be doing any drugs.”

The heavens sung in my head after I inwardly celebrated having taken that potion. This felt like Kojima all over again, only this time, it was the law trying to oust us and not an elementary student. However, Ryuji-senpai didn’t share my elation, though I couldn’t blame him in the slightest.

“Why would you think that!?” he yelled.

The other officer turned to Big Brother and me.

“Are you his friends?” he asked, much more gentle than his counterpart.

Big Brother nodded. “Something like that,” he admitted.

“Then you should go to school,” the officer pressed, “Take him with you.”

Instead of being moved by his persuasion and a possible quick exit from this confrontation, Ryuji-senpai kept trying to explain our situation as his frustration mounted. “Like I’m tryin’ to say…! I don’t know what’s goin’ on either!”

“We passed by Shujin on our way here,” the aggressive office said, “There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll contact your school. Is that what you want?”

“C’mon, say somethin’!” Ryuji-senpai hissed at us. But what could I say? Looking all around us, there was no evidence that the castle existed and the officers acted as if we were nuts for thinking otherwise. Without the strange potion or the talking cat backing us up, we had nothing to show for our ordeal.

Big Brother shook his head, evidently having the same thoughts. “Let’s get going.”

“Uh, that’s not what I meant…” Ryuji-senpai complained. Big Brother just turned away from the officers with me in tow and walked towards the school, which ironically had been the direction we had been running from earlier. “W-Wait a sec! Are those guys for real…? …Fine, I’m goin’!” With that, a reluctant Ryuji-senpai followed us, though I had a feeling he wasn’t going to drop the issue any time soon.

***

The SIU Director, Sae Niijima’s superior, folded his hands and contemplated the documents settled neatly on his desk. With everything in its proper place, he could effectively consider his next move in the name of reformation and governmental improvement for the sake of the country and his benefactor. So far, everything was going along smoothly.

“A Minister of Transport announcing his resignation…” he chuckled, “Things are going as planned…” An image of the diligent prosecutor entered his mind and he shook his head. “Sae Niijima… That reminds me…” 

The woman was brilliant at her job. Perhaps a little too brilliant. Whenever something didn’t seem right or a detail in a case sounded off key, everyone could count on her to pick it up. The fact that she was raising her younger sister alone on top of managing a stressful and high stakes job such as this was a testimony to her strength. Even when so much had been put against her and that young genius detective she frequently turned to for a second opinion, she always came out on top.

However, that brilliance might prove to be a problem in the future if Niijima couldn’t be reined in. With her tenacity and drive towards victory at all costs, she might uproot what should have been left well enough alone. At the moment though, she doesn’t pose as a threat. Yet.

“…Better to leave it be for now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a kudos and/or comment! I hope you enjoyed it! :)


	9. Commencment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to enter Shujin Academy and Hikari has to prepare herself to protect Akira. How is she going to navigate this battlefield?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the Persona franchise. I only own Hikari and any other OCs who will show up along the way. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos! :)

We arrived at the school gate by around lunchtime. There weren’t any students roaming outside, which normally wouldn’t have been a problem if I wanted to avoid people so that I could enjoy a good book. But considering that this is our first day and good first impressions were sort of important to making a good start for a school year, this was nothing short of bad.

For Ryuji-senpai though, it seemed to him that our situation was a little more surreal than bad.

“Is this for real…?” he breathed. He looked left and right, surveying the grounds. “I’m sure we came the same way… What’s goin’ on here…?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you,” a stern older man in a grey suit said as he stood at the top of the stairs. His arms were crossed and the way he glared down at us reminded me too much of my dad. “We received a call from the police.”

“That damn cop snitched on us after all!” Ryuji-senpai seethed under his breath as he kicked the cement with the tip of his shoe.

“It’s rare not to see you alone,” the man continued, eyeing me and Big Brother. He glanced at our still joined hands and he raised an eyebrow. “Acting a little juvenile for high schoolers, aren’t we?”

My cheeks grew hot and I loosened my grip on Big Brother’s hand, but for some reason, he refused to let go. His stare at the suited man was unapologetic as he stood his ground. Apparently deciding that it wasn’t worth the fight, the man turned back to Ryuji-senpai.

“Where were you roaming around until this time?”

Ryuji-senpai crossed his arms and seemed to be at a loss.

“Uhh…” he began, “a ca – a castle?”

I mentally slapped my forehead and my cheeks grew hotter. Ryuji-senpai wasn’t lying of course. But considering our last episode with the police and how we already bungled that up by talking about castles and whatnot, I had hoped that we could have put that behind us and move on.

The suited man only scoffed. “So, you have no intention of giving an honest answer?”

“What’s this about ‘a castle’?” An all too familiar male voice piped up and I thought that my blood had actually turned to ice.

“Kamoshida!?” Ryuji-senpai yelled.

Kamoshida-sensei, dressed as a typical gym teacher instead of a gaudy kingly garb, strode up and stood next to the other man. The way he stood exuded a strong level of confidence and power. Unlike how he had acted in the other world as a king, loud and boisterous and whatnot, right now he seemed a little more contained and in control. At least for now we might be able to count on him trying to hurt us like he had before. 

I don’t know how to explain his behavior back in the other world, but as a teacher in this world, it is his duty to protect and care for the students under him and guide them towards a bright future. Surely there will be an explanation for his bizarre actions later. I have to believe that if I could hope for Big Brother to have a smooth time here.

But if Kamoshida-sensei tries to hurt him…

“You seem so carefree, Sakamoto,” Kamoshida-sensei said, “Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team.”

Immediately, Ryuji-senpai hunched over into a defensive stance, clenching his fists.

“Shuddup! It’s your fault that,”

“How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!” the suited man retorted, sounding strangely similar to the soldiers back in the other world. He sighed and his forehead wrinkled as he shook his head. “…There’s not much leeway left for you, you know?”

“He’s the one that provoked me!” Ryuji-senpai defended.

“Do you really want to be expelled!? In any case, you’ll have to explain yourself! Follow me!”

I clutched my bag close and Big Brother squeezed my hand as Ryuji-senpai cursed.

How were we going to explain ourselves? Sakura-san had said that if we caused any trouble, he was going to kick us out. If he did that, what were we going to do? Big Brother and I didn’t have the kind of money that could afford us an apartment. Though maybe if we budgeted right and juggled enough jobs in between school work, if we were still going to be able to go to school, then we might be able to afford living at a manga café.

Kamoshida-sensei turned to the suited man with a gentle, apologetic smile.

“Come now,” he soothed, “I should have been more considerate, too. Let’s just say that we were both to blame.”

The man glanced at him and grunted but his expression and posture softened at Kamoshida-sensei’s words.

“Well, if you say so…” he turned back to us and his glare returned, “Still, you’re coming with me. It’s undeniable that you’re extremely late.”

“Fine…” Ryuji-senpai sighed.

“By the way…” Kamoshida-sensei began, hands on his hands, “you two’re those new transfer students, correct? Akira and Hikari Kurusu…”

The suited man walked off and Ryuji-senpai followed after him, but not without throwing Kamoshida-sensei a dirty look before heading inside. The teacher held his gaze on him with a twisted frown before turning back to us. He studied us for a moment and raised his eyebrows.

“…Have we met somewhere?” he asked.

“We saw a girl in your car,” Big Brother said and I relaxed my grip on my bag. For a moment, I had wondered if he was going to mention seeing him back at the castle. But from the way Kamoshida-sensei was acting and how he had phrased that question, it was like we had only met earlier that rainy morning. There was no intent of harm or anything that would betray the all too well shown animosity he had displayed earlier.

Might as well accept the reality that was in front of us and act accordingly. It will be easier to protect Big Brother if I can act flexibly.

“That’s right… I remember now,” Kamoshida-sensei scratched his head and his face paled. But he quickly wiped away his unease and gave an easy smile, though it didn’t feel real in the slightest. “…Well, I’ll overlook this just for today.” He replaced his hands on his hips and his false smile fell into a flat line as his eyes turned stone cold at my brother’s general direction. “I’m sure you’ve heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you’ll be expelled. Understand?”

“I understand,” Big Brother said. His tone of voice didn’t betray what he felt inside, but knowing him, he wasn’t ready to back down or submit. Not to this man who lorded over the submissive way the suited man had treated him and how he reveled in the power he seemed to have here. It reminded me of the way Big Brother had told me how the police acted to the man who had accused him back home.

I stepped closer to Big Brother and worked towards what I hoped was a neutral expression. I didn't feel like being too friendly with him but we didn't need to make him an enemy either.

“We won’t cause any problems,” I promised.

Kamoshida-sensei glance at me for a moment, and smiled a little as he nodded and relaxed his stance.

“At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I’m sure Ms. Kawakami’s tired of waiting.” He turned around and walked towards the school before calling over his shoulder. “Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life.”

With that, we walked inside hand-in-hand.

***

November

Sae Niijima sat back in her chair and folded her arms as the Phantom Thieves leader shook his head in an effort to fight against the dizzying effects of the medicine. 

“The school turned into an old castle…?” Sae questioned, “A talking cat…? …Are you hallucinating from an overdose? I won’t put up with you if you’re simply joking around.”  
While everything he said ran in line with what the reports said, the sheer absurdity of this young man’s words made her wonder if maybe this was all a waste of time. However, the story had only just begun and she still had questions that needed to be answered.

Sae tugged back her left jacket sleeve and peered at her watch.

“I’m going to have you continue the story,” she said, releasing her sleeve. “The one who received a ‘calling card’ from the Phantom Thieves was an Olympic medalist.” She swiped aside a black and red card decorated with a top hat and a mask with a flame peeking out one of the eye holes. Underneath the card was a photo and description of the first target made by the Phantom Thieves. “An alumnus from Shujin Academy – the P.E. teacher Suguru Kamoshida. It’s true that what he did were deplorable crimes from…indulging his desire. He confessed to it all. But there should’ve been no connection between the two of you since you had just transferred. Why did you target him? Was your sister one of his victims?”

Akira Kurusu shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut, possibly to stop an encroaching headache.

“I’ll tell you later,” he said.

“That’s unacceptable!” Sae said as she jolted up and slammed her hands against the steel table. “Try and recall it once again…!”

***

April

The whispers began as soon as we stepped inside. While Big Brother and I navigated through the halls, relying upon the memory of yesterday’s trek to the office, students here and there buzzed like bees. And some of the things they said made me want to drop all pretenses and set the record straight.

“I hear he hides a bunch of dangerous stuff in his bag…” one student whispered.

“Isn’t he a criminal that’s gotten into all sorts of stuff…?” went another.

“I heard that he’s a super problem child, and no other school will take him.”

It didn’t get any better when we went up the stairs. As Big Brother paused to take in our surroundings, I overheard a conversation between a couple students who were failing miserably at being discreet.

“They really allow criminals into high school?” a skittish male student whispered to his friend, “I don’t want to go to school with someone like that.” 

“Is he still called a criminal if he’s underage?” The other higher strung student commented, “I guess all that matters is that he’s dangerous. He was convicted of assault, right? A guy like that has to be really scary-looking.”

“The school should kick him out already. It sounds like he’s a time bomb just waiting to go off.”

I stopped in my tracks and scowled at them. With the way they were talking, Big Brother wasn’t going to be the “time bomb”. It was me.

“If you have this much time to dawdle and gossip like nosey housewives, why don’t you use that time to study and actually do something productive?” I said.

The students’ gawked at me before they sneered and walked away. Big Brother tugged me along until we came to a corner and he paused. He bent over and pressed a hand on top of my head. His expression made me want to pull my King Arthur book from his bag and hide behind it.

“Hikari,” he began, “I appreciate the thought, but if they start causing rumors about you too, there’s going to be trouble for the both of us.”

I bit my lip. “But the way they were talking, it wasn’t right.”

“I know. And I’m happy you stood up for me.” His expression softened and he smiled a little. “But if we hang in there long enough and behave ourselves, the rumors will go away and we won’t have to do anything.”

I sighed and played with the hem of my blazer. For some reason, crawling through that dungeon felt easier than this.

“So, what am I supposed to do until then? Just let them talk trash about you?”

“Let them say what they will. You know the truth and so do I.” Big Brother straightened up and moved his hand from my head to my shoulder. “I’m happy that you’re here with me, Hikari. But if people start spreading rumors about you too because of my record and the way you stood up for me, things are only going to get worse. Just hang on a little longer, alright?”

My heart cracked and tears threatened to escape my eyes. I hung my head and gripped my bag.

“I’m sorry…” I mumbled.

It was a selfish wish. I know that. But having to withstand watching and hearing other people insulting Big Brother was painful, especially with my knowledge of who he really was. 

All I wanted to do was act as a shield for him and clear the road by sweeping away the lies and rumors that threatened Big Brother’s future. Even after finishing his probation here, he was still going to have a difficult time making his way into society with that stain on his past. 

But if what I was doing was only going to make things worse, then maybe it would be better if I kept my mouth shut until it blew over like Big Brother said.

Suddenly, my King Arthur book appeared under my nose.

“Would you like this back?” Big Brother asked, his voice much softer than before. I looked up and his eyes were as gentle as they were when Tomoya left for America and I had cried until he took me to an ice cream vendor and bought me a treat.

I held my hand up to grab it until I shook my head and pushed it back to him.

“Hold onto it. For good luck,” I told him. I looked away and scuffed my shoe against the floor. “N-Not like you need it of course. I mean, you did say you wanted to read it too so,”

“Hey. Are you two done yet?” Kawakami-sensei asked as she scowled from the doorway of the faculty office.

“Yes ma’am,” we said at the same time as Big Brother put the book back in his bag. We followed Kawakami-sensei inside. 

She flopped down in her chair and rubbed her face. “Unbelievable… Being over half a day late on your first day…? Can you explain yourselves?”

“Our train was late,” Big Brother answered.

Kawakami-sensei only scoffed. “It’s lunchtime, you know? You would’ve gotten here sooner if you had walked from your place. It’s true the train schedules have been a mess due to the accident, but you two’re still way too late.” She folded her arms. “Will you both pull yourselves together? You were given fair warning yesterday. More importantly, I heard that you were caught along with that Sakamoto-kun?”

“‘That Sakamoto’…?” Big Brother asked.

“Is there something wrong with him?” I asked. “I mean, he seemed pretty nice when he tried to guide us to school.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Don’t get involved with him, OK? He’s nothing but trouble, no matter how ‘nice’ he might act.” In spite of her words, her expression was that of a tired mother saddened at the thought of her wayward child. “He wasn’t like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though…”

“If I may ask,” I began, “what happened?”

Ryuji-senpai had a foul mouth, but with the way he had so valiantly fought back in the other world while protecting the two of us made it hard for me to believe that he was “trouble”. If I could have acted half as bravely as he did back there, I would have been able to act as a real knight for Big Brother in his time of need.

However, Kawakami-sensei shook her head and didn’t elaborate.

“…Anyway. Break’s almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I’ll show you to your room,” she pointed at me and then at Big Brother, “and I’ll have you introduce yourself when class resumes. Follow me.”

Since Kawakami-sensei was Big Brother’s homeroom teacher, she decided to guide me to my room first. From what she explained, the third year students were on the first floor, the second years were on the second, and the first years on the third. At least I’ll have a room with a great view. If I’m lucky, I might be able to snag a seat next to the window.

At this point, any level of optimism was better than focusing on the negative. If I’m going to be of any positive use to Big Brother, I need to follow his advice and keep a low profile. As long as I can do that, we’ll get through this. 

Although my thoughts can’t help but wander back to Morgana. After leaving him back there, though he had reassured me that he was going to be okay, it was still a dangerous place to be. If I could convince Big Brother if we could go back there and find at least some way to check up on him, that would be great. That is if we could avoid the monsters in the meanwhile.

“And here we are,” Kawakami-sensei announced.

I looked up and read the classroom placard. “1-C”.

The door opens and a middle-aged woman with half-moon glasses, a high bun, and immaculate clothing appeared.

“Thank you, Kawakami-sensei. I will take it from here,” she said with a downward drill at me. “I assume this is Hikari Kurusu?”

“Yes,” she said, “she and her brother had gotten lost on their way here and missed the train. Keep an eye on her.”

“Will do,” she sighed and took a step back in the classroom. “I am Ms. Mayumi Sato and I will be your homeroom teacher. Be on your best behavior and we will both hopefully have a smooth year.”

“Yes Sato-sensei.” I bowed and Big Brother reached over to give my hand one last squeeze before leaving with Kawakami-sensei.

The room was already full of students and my knees shook as I stood in front of the classroom. I turned to the chalkboard and tried to stop my trembling fingers as I grasped a piece of chalk. The chalk made a slight squeaking as I scrawled my name on the board.

“Thank you Kurusu. That will do.” Sato-sensei said.

“Is that the criminal’s sister?” A student whispered.

“What’s she doing here? Does she have a record too?”

“I didn’t know this place was a reform school.”

Sato-sensei held up a pointer finger and pursed her lips. Immediately, the talking ceased.

“As you all may have guessed, this young lady is our new transfer student, Hikari Kurusu,” she said, “Like the rest of you, she is here to receive an education befitting the future of Japan and I expect you all to act properly regardless of any rumors you may or may not have heard.” She turned to me and swept an arm towards my classmates. “Introduce yourself.”

I breathed in through my nose and bowed.

“My name is Hikari Kurusu. I’m please to meet you all.”

No one responded even as I stood up. But when I swept my gaze around the classroom, I thought my heart was going to burst and I immediately regretted wishing for a seat next to the window.

Among of my classmates was Maki Kojima, who stared back at me with owlish eyes. And the only remaining seat was next to her desk by a window.


	10. Starting Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari is classmates with an old bully, Maki Kojima. For some reason, Maki wants to talk to Hikari. She reveals a harsh truth and Hikari is left trying to figure out the pieces. Meanwhile, how are Ryuji, Akira, and Hikari going to adjust to their environment in the aftermath of their adventure?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the Persona franchise. I only own my OC's. I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos! Thank you everyone for reading this!

Once I had taken my seat, I might as well have been sitting on ice. Kojima didn’t say anything when I came near, but her eyes reminded me of the tale of the snow queen who had tricked a young boy into helping out her diabolical plans by enticing him with sweets before taking him in as prisoner. Of course, Kojima wasn’t an evil queen. We just got off on the wrong foot. Of course. Of course…

“Kojima, since Kurusu is new, I expect you to share your textbooks with her until she has her own copies,” Sato-sensei said as she adjusted her glasses with a pointer finger.

“Yes, Sato-sensei,” Kojima said with a pleasant enough smile, but the corners of her mouth never reached her eyes. She slid her textbook closer to my end and leaned over. “We’re talking. Later.”

“B-But why,” I began. Kojima shook her head and glanced at the teacher, who had been eyeing our interaction.

“Just do it.” Then she straightened up and doodled something in her notebook. When Sato-sensei turned around and began writing on the board, Kojima slid her notebook over to me. In the bottom left corner she had written, “It’s about Tomoya. Don’t make any excuses.”

With that friendly little order, the remainder of the school day moved onwards. Though I had been trying to pay attention to the lesson, thank goodness it was just homeroom, I couldn’t help but fidget without my King Arthur book giving me its reassuring weight. There’s just something about books that gave me a sense of peace that a child would normally find within a stuffed animal or a security blanket. Perhaps it’s because I knew that whenever I opened a book, the same characters who inspired hope and courage would still be waiting for me no matter how difficult life gets. Or maybe it’s because Big Brother always bought me books and read to me whenever I was feeling down.

In whatever case, at least I know that Big Brother is keeping it safe. Hopefully it’s keeping him safe too. As a reminder that there was someone in his corner no matter what injuries tried to fly his way.

“And remember class,” Sato-sensei said, cutting through my daydream, “the volleyball rally is in two days. It is a requirement that you are all to attend so I had better not hear about any…discrepancies.” She eyed me and I shrank, though I fought to keep upright. If I hadn’t known better though, I could have sworn I heard a snort from Kojima’s direction.

Once class concluded, I was tempted to dart out and grab Big Brother before any drama started. But Kojima thrust all her school supplies into her bag and stood by my seat, waiting for me to finish cleaning up myself. She crossed her arms and tapped a finger against her elbow.

“Don’t chicken out on me Kurusu,” she snapped, “I’ve been waiting a long time to talk to you and I don’t have all day, so get moving.”

“Yeah,” I said as I tucked Sakura-san’s notebook back in my bag. Kojima raised her eyebrow at it and smirked.

“That’s…cute,” she said.

With her tone, I couldn’t tell if she was genuine or sarcastic, but I wasn’t going to raise a fuss. Not after what Big Brother had said about keeping my head down. But with Kojima, that was going to be difficult.

“I’m ready,” I said. She nodded and slung her bag over her shoulder.

“Follow me.”

We exited the classroom and headed up the stairs until we came across a small room lined with brooms, extra desks and chairs, and a large door, which I assumed led out to the roof. As we were walking, my head spun as visions of the otherworldly castle invaded my senses. I had to catch myself a couple times from falling over as I followed Kojima. The sooner we got this over with, the better. We couldn’t do anything about the seating arrangement, but at least we can do this.

Besides, she had mentioned Tomoya. The two were on a first name basis? From what I could remember, Tomoya barely mentioned Kojima nor had I ever hung out with Tomoya and Kojima at the same time. In fact, the only time I can remember them interacting was when Tomoya stood up for me during the cookie incident.

“Hey. You still there?” Kojima asked, flicking my forehead.

I squeaked and rubbed the sore spot. Compared to what I had experienced back at the dungeon, this was nothing. Laughable even. But it still stung.

“Yeah,” I dropped my hand and took in a breath, “So…about Tomoya,”

“You’re an idiot,” she cut off, “so just shut it and listen.”

I froze. In the dim lighting, I could see the dark purple streaks Kojima dyed into her hair, which was tied back into a high ponytail, though it blended in well enough with her black locks that it didn’t serve as much of a distraction. Now that I look closer though, she wasn’t wearing the Shujin Academy uniform like I was. Though she wore the plaid skirt, she also wore a white long sleeved shirt with two arrows on the collar. She was a pretty girl with a tiny mole on her chin, but the negative energy pouring out from her distracted from that.

“Look, I’m only doing this because of Tomoya and I wouldn’t have bothered if you hadn’t followed me here,” Kojima said, crossing her arms again.

“I didn’t ‘follow’ you, Kojima,” I said, wringing my bag.

Kojima folded her hands, extended her pointer fingers, and perched her chin on top of them. She hummed.

“Oh, don’t tell me, let me guess,” she sing-songed, “you came because your brother was coming and you were too much of a baby to let him rot here in peace.”

“Hey,” I began and took a step forward, but Kojima held a hand in front of me.

“Save it,” she said, “Frankly, I don’t care about you or your brother. But I care about Tomoya and I’m just going to say it. You were a shitty friend.”

I stepped back and my mouth wouldn’t operate. What did she mean by that? Tomoya and I were close. All those sleepovers, the jokes we shared, even the time I confided to her about the time Big Brother and I had “run away” from home towards our grandparent’s house because we were so sick of the way they had treated us. Of course, he and I had called beforehand and gotten permission, but still.

“Every time you two talked, you always rambled on ‘Big Brother did this’ or ‘Big Brother did that’,” Kojima scoffed and threw her hands up, “I mean, c’mon! There has to be more in that skull besides him. What about the books you read? Your hobbies? Tomoya’s hobbies? Heck, Tomoya said that you couldn’t go three days without mentioning the guy.”

“Big Brother and I,”

“Are close. I get it. But at least I was there for my cousin when she got on that plane.” She rolled her eyes. “Apparently she had planned on getting the two of us to make up and be friendly before she left, but no. You had to change plans and take care of your sick brother.” She leaned forward. “You do know that he could have just slept it off, right? The guy wasn’t going to die if you had left him for an hour or two.”

I remembered that day. I had promised to say goodbye to Tomoya but Big Brother had suddenly come down with a massive fever. It had gotten so bad that he ended up vomiting a couple times and I had to call Tomoya and cancel our plans. She tried to change my mind several times, saying that she wanted to do “something important” before she left, but I hadn’t budged. Throughout that time, the guilt ate me away, but I had tried to busy myself with tending to Big Brother.

But wait a minute…

“You and Tomoya are,”

“Yeah. Cousins. Read my lips. Get it memorized,” Kojima said slowly as if I was incapable of understanding her, “She told me off for trying to steal your stuff and she gave me hers afterwards. She also tried to get us to make up sooner, but you kept making excuses.” She snapped her fingers. “In fact, since I’m on that, you never made her a priority. Whenever you two had plans, you always put your brother first and left Tomoya in the dust.”

“That’s not true!” This was disorienting. Kojima had to be lying. She had to be. If Tomoya had felt this way, why didn’t she talk to me? Or…had she tried to and I wasn’t listening?

“Oh please,” she snorted and flipped back her ponytail, “If you didn’t have him, you’d be lost. Actually, you might not have made friends with Tomoya. Not if you hadn’t raised a fuss over a couple pink rocks.”

“You’re too dependent on Akira as it is.” My dad’s words from back home rang in my head and shook me.

“Look, if you stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours. Got it?” Kojima said, “I came here for one reason and one reason only: to play volleyball and get into a good college. That’s it. And you giving me crap for making you cry and badmouthing your criminal isn’t going to help me get what I want.”

She brushed past me as I stayed rooted in spot.

“Oh, and a little tip,” she called out from behind, “if you want to make friends here, ditch the ‘cute, doting little sister’ act. It’s getting old and when it’s all said and done, he’s going to leave you behind. Get with it.”

As the tapping of her shoes grew distant and gone, I fell down to my knees and let out a large sob. Memories from when Tomoya and I were together came back to me and I had to admit it: Everything made sense. Kojima was right. At every moment Tomoya had brought up Kojima, I had dismissed any attempts at making up with her. Why? Because she insulted Big Brother. Whenever I told Tomoya I had to change our plans because I wanted to do something else with Big Brother, she smiled but it never seemed real. 

I knew that, but my brother was my world.

Even though Kojima had said that he was going to leave me behind, I couldn’t believe it was true. Because if Big Brother did leave me behind, who was going to tell me that they were happy I was born? That I wasn’t a mistake?

She was right about two things: I had been a horrible friend to Tomoya, and if I didn’t have Big Brother, I was lost.

***

As Maki Kojima walked down the stairs and through the hallway towards practice, leaving Kurusu behind to do whatever, she tugged her ponytail and grimaced.

“Had that been too much?” she asked herself. 

She paused by the window and tugged out her cellphone. Scrolling through the photos, Maki smiled as the beaming face of Tomoya lifted her mood. Recalling the last time they had spoken in person, Maki’s smile dimmed.

Tomoya had held Maki’s hands as she fought back tears.

“I know you two don’t get along, but Maki?” Tomoya had said.

“Yeah?” she had answered, already knowing what her cousin might have wanted to say. The girl was too easy to read, unlike some of those books Kurusu liked to read. Who reads King Arthur willingly before high school? Or at all?

“Please, try to make friends with Hikari-chan. In only the way you can.”

“Brutally honest? To the point? While trashing the brother?”

She giggled. It was always so funny when she giggled that Maki couldn’t help but smile.

“Maybe you can leave that part out. But please? Try? I don’t want her getting lost. Please remind her of what’s in front of her and what could be.”

Coming back to the present, Maki’s smile was gone and Tomoya’s grin seemed to pierce right through her.

“Sorry Tomo-chan…” she whispered, “But I can’t forgive her for hurting you. For making you cry like that. Not yet anyway.” She wiped her tearing eyes with her sleeve. “Maybe if she stops using her brother as a crutch, maybe. But now,”

“Still not at practice Kojima?” Kamoshida-sensei asked, walking up to her.

Maki jumped and shoved her phone back in her pocket.

“S-Sorry Kamoshida-sensei,” she said as her legs flexed to run, “I had to run an errand real quick. I’m on my way now.”

“I would hope so,” he said with a wide grin. It reminded Maki of an alligator before it snatched its prey. “With the rally coming up, I want you to be in top condition. You can’t hope to get into a good school with sloppy results.” He approached Maki and touched her shoulder. She had to bite back a mix between a whine and a snarl when he squeezed a still raw bruise from practice the other day. A little “extra drilling” from the teacher himself. “If you run into Suzui, tell her that I’m expecting great things from our starter.”

“Yes Kamoshida-sensei,” she stepped back as his hand fell from her shoulder back to his side. Maki dashed off past him before he could try to get another word or touch in. Maybe, she thought, she had gone a little too far with Kurusu earlier. But if Maki was able to speak with her favorite senpai, Shiho Suzui, maybe she would be able to tell her what to do. At least that was one thing to look forward to on this damn team and putting up with that pervert.

***

Once I had taken in a couple deep breaths and dried my tears, since it was the end of the day, I decided to try and find Big Brother’s room and walk home together. Maybe after spending some time with him, maybe he could tell me how to deal with Kojima. I rose to my feet and brushed the dirt off my skirt.

“Whoa!” A male voice cried.

“I’m sorry!” I said automatically, hugging my bag close to my chest and squeezing my eyes closed. After Kojima, I really didn’t want any more drama. The sooner I can get to Big Brother and end this day, the better.

“Hikari-chan?”

I peeked and exhaled. It was Ryuji-senpai. Thanks to the medicine from the dungeon, one would never have been able to tell that he had endured such a horrible beating. If we met up with Morgana again, I’ll have to be sure and thank him.

“What are you doin’ up here?” he asked. “Did you run into your brother? I asked him to meet us up here.”

I shook my head.

“N-No. I was just about to go down and find him myself.”

Ryuji-senpai scrunched his eyebrows and frowned. “Hey, you okay? Your eyes are kinda red.”

I stiffened and looked away as I swiped my sleeve against my nose. “Allergies,” I lied, “I was trying to find a quiet place to read and…well…” I sneezed and made a hasty apology.

Ryuji-senpai smiled and laughed. “I get it. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to choose this spot. If a teacher catches you,” he shook his head, “Well, it wouldn’t be good.” He reached into his back pocket and held out a plain white handkerchief. “Here,” he offered.

I looked up at him and the handkerchief. “Wha,”

“C’mon,” he coaxed, “I think I know a cryin’ girl when I see one.” He waved it a little. “And I have a feelin’ your brother wouldn’t be cool with me leavin’ you like this. You can just give it back whenever.”

Finally, I smiled and accepted his gift. For being “trouble”, this guy had a big heart. Hopefully no one ever takes advantage of it.

“Thank you Senpai.” I wiped my face really quick, making a mental note to clean it as soon as possible as I tucked it away. It wouldn’t be good manners give it back with snot on it. “Why did you want us to meet here?” I asked.

His grin grew larger and he raised a finger close to his mouth. “Cause no one comes here. The roof’s off limits, so even the teachers don’t go. Unless they think a student’s tryin’ to sneak around.”

He waltzed towards the door and played with the latch, ignoring the big “off limits” warning sheet taped on it. With a flick or two, Ryuji-senpai flung it open and took in a deep breath through his nose.

“Fresh air!” he cried.

I laughed and followed him out. Whatever this was about, it’ll be a more than welcome distraction. When Big Brother appeared a couple minutes later, the perfect distraction was complete.

“Hey,” Big Brother greeted as he patted my head, “I tried looking for you but you weren’t in class.”

“Sorry,” I said, tugging my braid, “I was…catching up with an old acquaintance. And I was trying to see if I could get in some reading up here.” I eyed Ryuji-senpai, who only smiled at me without a word. 

Big Brother stared at me, glancing at his bag that still held my King Arthur book. I opened my own bag and showed him my other book about Hua Mulan. In a sense, she was a knight. Maybe not for a monarch, but she risked her everything to protect her father and her country. If that wasn’t true knighthood, I didn’t know what was.

He still didn’t look like he believed me, but thankfully he let it pass and turned to Ryuji-senpai, who was reclining on a foldable chair and resting a foot on one of the tables that had been group together. He nodded at Big Brother.

“…Hey,” Ryuji-senpai began, his easiness from before evaporating, “Sorry for callin’ you guys up here like this.” He frowned. “I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like ‘don’t get involved with him,’ huh?”

I cringed and Big Brother replied with a grimace.

“She said you’re trouble.”

Ryuji-senpai only laughed, but there was no mirth in it. “Heh, we’re pretty much in the same boat.” He focused on Big Brother. “I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone’s talkin’ about it. No wonder you were so gutsy.”

It figured. No matter if I was there with him or not, people were still going to talk behind his back. But I still have to hold my tongue or we’re going to have bigger problems than a rumor or two. Still, aren’t records supposed to be confidential? How did everyone know about Big Brother even though this was his first day?

“And you,” he said to me, “there’s nothin’ on you, but I heard that you talked shit to some guys and they think you might be just as bad.”

I shrugged. “There’s not much to say really. Big Brother was being transferred here and I decided to come with. But the other part…yeah.”

Big Brother smirked and I smiled. He had scolded me for my actions, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t laugh about it in the aftermath.

Ryuji-senpai gave me a thumbs up. “Well hey. Good for you.”

Big Brother moved to lean against one of the tables and I pulled out a chair. With the sun setting over the city, this felt like a scene from out of a movie. Having this kind of reality put on me, away from my parents and nosey students, it was nice all things considered.

Ryuji-senpai leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

“…What was all that that happened?” he asked, “You know, how we almost got killed at a castle… It wasn’t a dream…right? You remember it too, yeah?”

Big Brother and I nodded. Ryuji-senpai stared at his hands.

“Well, just ’cause we all remember it doesn’t mean much though…” he looked back up and smiled appreciatively at Big Brother. “I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved us from Kamoshida. So yeah… Thanks, Akira.” He shifted to me. “And thanks to your thinkin’, we were able to find that cat and get out without a scratch. So…thanks to you too.”

“You’re welcome,” Big Brother said with his own grin as I blushed at the praise.

“Don’t forget, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have held out as long as we did, so thanks to you too,” I said, mimicking his words.

As we talked, I couldn’t help but remember how splendid Big Brother had acted back at the castle. Even though I had been scared at first by his transformation, there was no doubt that my brother had acted like the hero I knew he was. That dashing suit, the graceful flips and attacks, even his teaming up with Arsene was poetry in motion. On top of that, his grin was so carefree that I almost cried. It felt like the chains that had been put on him didn’t exist.

My chest swelled with pride, but I soon deflated when I remembered my conversation with Kojima. To drop the act, to stop being so attached.

“But man, that Kamoshida we saw there...” Ryuji-senpai frowned and crossed one leg over a knee. “You prolly don’t know about it, but there are some rumors about him.”

“The guy we met earlier?” Big Brother asked.

“Yeah, the ripped mophead.” Ryuji-senpai said. “The guy who was all full of himself at the castle.” He shifted one foot from one knee to the other. “No one says anything against him ’cause he’s some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real ’cause of that…”

It made sense. From the interaction we saw him have with the man at the gate, Kamoshida-sensei seemed to have a certain amount of power. On top of him being a big time athlete and giving the school such a good name, but it was no wonder people would treat him the way they did.

In spite of that though, Kamoshida-sensei was still a teacher. Teachers are supposed to work for the good of the students no matter what. Even if Kawakami-sensei had expressed her dislike of having to look after me and Big Brother, she was still doing her job and trying her best. Sato-sensei herself told the class to treat me normally no matter what the rumors were. Teachers had to draw the line somewhere after all.

“I wonder if we can go back to that castle again,” Ryuji-senpai muttered. He shook his head and stood up, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Ugh, forget it. Must’ve all been a dream! It has to be!” He smiled at us apologetically. “Sorry to drag you two out here like this. That’s all I had to say.” He took a few steps towards the door and paused. He turned around, his grin still present but brighter. “You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we’re gonna get along just fine as ‘troublemakers’.” He scratched his shoulder. “I’m Ryuji Sakamoto. I’ll come talk if I see you around. Don’t ignore me, all right?”

With that, we said goodbye to our friend, our first real friend, and watched as he headed out the door.

“He doesn’t seem like trouble to me.” I nodded at Big Brother. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a grin and a shrug, “I think he’s right.”

“About what?”

“That we’ll get along fine as ‘troublemakers’.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I thought you said that we should keep our heads down.”

“Better safe than sorry, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun when no one’s looking.” He reached out a hand. “Ready?”

Kojima’s and Dad’s words came back to me, but one look at Big Brother’s smile made me tuck them away. Maybe for another day. Right now, I’m ready to face the world by his side. No matter what anyone might try to tell me.


	11. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a long day of castles, lectures, and general running around has finally come to an end. As the siblings settle down for the night, how are they going to move forward? And what was that about Akira having a nightmare?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the Persona franchise. I only own my OCs.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! :)

To say that Sakura-san wasn’t happy with our tardiness was a polite understatement. Although he wasn’t screaming and shouting like a maniac, it wasn’t a pleasant picture. His frown was deep and while his hands were busy with cleaning the last of the dishes from his long day, I could imagine him waving a finger in our faces for our carelessness.

“Hey,” he began with a furrowed brow, “I got an interesting call from your school today. It’s only your first day and you’re already showing up hours late?”

“It was an accident,” Big Brother tried to explain, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand since he was still holding one of my own. I held my Hua Mulan book close to my chest and bit my tongue. Of course, we had a legitimate reason for being late. But it wasn’t like he was going to believe us anytime soon.

“Yeah, that’s what everyone says,” Sakura-san said, adjusting his glasses with a soapy hand. He paused to put away the last dish, shut off the sink, and dry his hands. “Look, just behave yourselves. Your life’s forfeit if anything happens. You understand the meaning of probation, right?”

“We do,” Big Brother answered.

“Okay then,” Sakura-san sighed. His cellphone rang and, looking at the caller ID, his sharp demeanor completely softened. It was like a shift from night to day with the way he lit up. “Hey, what’s up?” He nodded with a gentle smile. “…Yeah, I just closed up shop. I’ll be there in half an hour.” Then, noticing that we were still staring at him, he blushed and covered the speaking end of his phone. “Hey, what’re you standing around for? Go hurry on up to bed.” He moved to talk on the phone again but then he gestured to me. “Wait, I want to talk to you first.” He waved at Big Brother to go upstairs.

“See you in a bit,” Big Brother said as he patted my head. He glanced at Sakura-san, who was still chatting on his phone, and glanced back at me. “When you’re done, I want to talk to you too.”

Considering how this day had gone thus far, there were a number of things he would want to talk about. My telling off those students? How things went back at the dungeon? Who knew?

When Big Brother went up the stairs and Sakura-san hung up the phone, I took in a deep breath as Sakura-san fixed his eyes on me. He wasn’t exactly scary, at least less so than that strange Kamoshida king. But this couldn’t be good.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you this,” he started, fingering his glasses. “But why are you here? Honestly?”

“What do you mean, Sakura-san?” I asked, shifting my weight from one leg to the other.

“I mean,” he scratched his cheek, “if you stick around with that guy, you’re bound to get a lot of trouble too. It doesn’t matter how close you two are, it’s like you’re just asking for a world of hurt.”

“That doesn’t matter,” I said, thinking back to how I had threatened my parents to drop out of school. “I wanted to support Big Brother and so,” I waved my hand around me, “here I am.”

Sakura-san grimaced and adjusted his glasses. Was it a habit of his to mess with his glasses?

“But what about your friends? Don’t you miss them?”

Images of Tomoya’s sad smile and Kojima’s scowl danced in my head and I brushed them off. Plenty of time to think about that later.

“I…had one friend, but she moved away a couple years ago. Besides her, I don’t really have any,” I admitted, “I preferred reading to talking and I like hanging out with Big Brother.”

He shook his head and his frustrated look morphed to one of pity. Something I really didn’t want him to give me. While this was preferable to his yelling, at least I wouldn’t have felt so small and pathetic like this.

“There’s nothing wrong with being close to family. But what are you going to do when he leaves?” he asked, “If he gets arrested for something stupid, he’ll either drag you down or,”

“I’ll go with him.” I snapped, digging my fingers in my book. Sakura-san’s face turned from pity into shock but I couldn’t stop. “Even if the law turns against Big Brother, I will fight to save him. And if I get dragged down, then at least I’ll be somewhere I can see him.”

This feeling… It burns me now like it had back when I was at home. Mom and Dad couldn’t quench it, nor could they stop me. I had never threatened to steer away from the path they had tried to push me towards. So it was that when I did, here I was. And here I am breathing out this fire on a man who was judging my brother based only on what he knew from police records and possibly my parent’s grievances.

Finally, he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

“Alright, alright,” he said, “But I’m warning you. If you start doing anything stupid yourself while ‘protecting’ your brother, then it’s going to spell nothing but trouble for the both of you. And no doubt it’s going to affect me too, and I can’t afford any big messes, so be careful.”

The burning in my chest was snuffed out and I froze. This wasn’t how I was supposed to act. Big Brother had already warned me once today about acting out and here I had done it again. I quickly bowed.

“I’m sorry Sakura-san. That was rude of me,” I apologized, “I just…can’t leave Big Brother alone. Not like this.”

Sakura-san sighed and I straightened back up.

“Well,” he paused as he scratched his head, “no matter what happens, be careful. Alright?”

With that, Sakura-san left the café and I locked up after him. I pressed my forehead against one of the cool glass window panes set in the wooden door. This day has gone on for too long. First, there was the sudden downpour. Then there was that adventure in the castle, the mocking at school, Kojima, and now this. Part of me was satisfied that I had been able to speak my mind to Sakura-san. My nerves mainly got the better of me when in front of large crowds and certain individuals, but then there were times when my nerves didn’t bother me so much. Of course, that was mainly due to Big Brother’s encouragement and my own biased feelings.

However, another part of me hated myself for acting like I had. Sakura-san had only been concerned and I blew up in his face. First it started with my parents, then Kojima, and now Sakura-san. All of them said that I had to break away from Big Brother if I wanted anything good to happen to us.

But this was my fault. If I hadn’t gotten that headache or slept it off and bought medicine later, then Big Brother wouldn’t be in this situation. He wouldn’t have to stay in the attic because then Sakura-san would have had room for him to stay at his house. On top of that, Big Brother wouldn’t have needed to scold me for acting out at school. And on another note, one more selfish, I wouldn’t have run into Kojima.

I took in a deep breath and straightened my blazer. It was no use getting so down about it now. Things are what they are and I have to adapt. I’ll just have to be on my best behavior and follow Kojima’s wishes of not bothering her. If that’s what she wanted, I’ll respect it. And with a little redecorating, the attic could be homier than how things had been at home. At least it’s less sterile and more colorful than what we normally had.

“Is everything okay?” Big Brother asked after I entered our attic, reclining on his bed and fiddling with his phone. While Sakura-san and I had been talking, he had changed into his pajamas. Following this line of thinking, I scrounged around in my large moving box, which I still needed to organize. At least, judging by Big Brother’s box, he had some work to do himself.

“Yeah,” I answered, picking out a long periwinkle dress with little white flowers. “Sakura-san was worried and he wanted me to be careful with stuff.”

“Alright,” he nodded and placed his phone down next to him before crossing his arms, “Now who was your ‘acquaintance’?”

“Hm?”

“Back at school.”

“Ah, right.” I straightened up and fixed a smile. 

Our unspoken creed was to talk to each other if something was bothering us. I had wanted Big Brother to tell me if he had secret powers and now here I was holding back my talk with Kojima. I would nothing but a hypocrite if I couldn’t trust him.

“Oh, you might not remember her, but I had run into Maki Kojima. Turns out we’re classmates again.”

Big Brother raised an eyebrow. “Maki Kojima?” He played with a strand of his wavy hair, something he always did whenever he was thinking or uncomfortable with something. Sometimes, it was a little bit of both.

“We weren’t really friends, but we had seen each other here and there and she just,” I paused, scrambling to think of the right words. I didn’t want to lie to him, but at the same time I didn’t want to completely divulge the gist of our talk. “Wanted to catch up. And guess what?”

“What?”

“It turns out she and Tomoya are cousins. And she’s playing volleyball at Shujin. And…yeah.” I finished lamely.

“So you went up to the roof to talk to Kojima-chan? And find a place to read?” he asked.

“Yeah. Basically.” I said. With the way he was staring at me, I wanted to dive into bed and wait for a new day. But, first things first. “You’ve had a long day, so go ahead and sleep. Good night Big Brother.” I turned to change in the downstairs bathroom before Big Brother called out.

“I just remembered something,” he said with a small grin.

“What is it?” While Big Brother was charming when he smiled, it wasn’t always a good thing. Usually when he smiled like that, he was going to tease me.

“When are you going to start calling me Big Bro again?”

And there it was.

“W-What!?” I squeaked and blushed. “We were kids! It wouldn’t be appropriate now!”

“And yet I still love holding your hand.”

“Good night Big Brother!” I slammed the door behind me and almost stumbled on the steps. From behind the door, I swore I heard him laughing.

This man was going to be the death of me.

***

As Hikari settled into bed and read a chapter aloud from Hua Mulan’s book, Akira couldn’t keep his eyelids open anymore. The warrior’s story was interesting, but his little sister’s reading voice was so soothing and relaxing. When she wasn’t stressed out about their parents or trying to act like a “proper” little sister, Hikari could be refreshingly carefree and fun to explore life with.

If Akira hadn’t had the fortune to have an ally on his side after everything that had happened, living here would have been really lonely. Even though things had turned haywire back at the castle and the school, at least there was someone on his side. Especially since it was Hikari. The last thing Akira ever wanted to do was leave her behind with their parents. While she was a girl with a mind of her own, who knew how they were going to try and mold her? At least he could have her back when worst came to worst.

A clanking of chains jolted Akira awake and he found himself on a hard bed in a prison cell and wearing black and white striped clothes.

‘Again,’ he thought. He sat up and laid his head in his hands. With this huge transition and heavy atmosphere, everything was making his head swim.

“…About time you’ve come to,” a jeering little girl, Caroline, said. She slammed her baton against the bars when Akira didn’t respond. “On your feet, Inmate!”

“Our master wishes to speak with you,” a softer, nonetheless colder, girl, Justine, said, “It’s for your own sake that you take his words to heart.”

Akira, not wishing to raise their ire more, stood and gripped the bars in order to steady himself. Looking at the two little girls in front of him, it was hard to believe that these innocent little faces were his wardens. Like mirror images, the two looked exactly the same with their matching blue military outfits and porcelain faces. Also very much like a mirror, they wore eyepatches to where if they had been standing face-to-face, their eyepatches would have been reflected. With the way Justine’s hair was braided, it reminded Akira of how Hikari had her hair styled back in elementary school.

“First off, let us celebrate our reunion,” a deep voice said. A little bald man in a black and white suit with pointy ears and a comically long nose, Igor, peered at Akira from a wooden desk, decorated with an old fashioned lamp, a stack of papers, and an inkwell. This was the man who had referred to him as “Trickster”, introduced him to this strange world, the “Velvet Room”, and hinted at some kind of “rehabilitation” that Akira was going to have to undertake in order to escape “ruin”.

On his first visit, Akira scanned the other cells around him, fearful that Hikari had possibly been taken in by this creep as well. But Igor never mentioned her nor had Akira ever see any sign of his sister. Even if she was here though, Akira wasn’t sure how he was going to help her, especially considering his own heavy chains he has to deal with. However, with this second visit and still no sign of Hikari, Akira was confident enough to believe that she wasn't around. At least he could take comfort in that.

“Oh…?” Igor raised his unusually long and bushy eyebrows as he grinned. “You’ve awakened to your powers. And special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin.”

“Rehabilitation?” Akira asked.

“There is no need to understand it all for the time being,” Igor said nonchalantly as he crossed one leg over the other. “You will be training in the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a ‘mask’ – an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you.”

“What do you mean?” Akira asked, readjusting his grip on the bars. The longer he remained in the Velvet Room, the more he wanted to sit down and take in a breath. The air in here was so heavy that Akira thought he was going to fall if he wasn’t careful. He wasn’t tired so to speak, but there was an exhaustion that really made this a bit of a challenge.

“There is no need to worry,” Igor encouraged, “You will learn when the time comes.” He shifted to where he propped an elbow on the desk and rested his chin on his wrist. “By the by…have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces.”

“Palaces…?” The only palace Akira could think of was the one he had encountered earlier that day. Although Hikari was a fanatic about castles and stories of noble deeds, he highly doubted that kind of palace was what she had in mind. Akira sure didn’t.

“…I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a thief,” Igor explained after a moment, seeming to ignore his comment about Palaces.

“The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master!” Caroline spoke up on Akira’s right, “You better take care in using it, Inmate!”

“Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief,” Justine, on his left, added.

“It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone,” Igor said, tapping his free hand’s fingers rhythmically against the wooden table, “Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief…”

A clanging alarm rang in the air and startled Akira to his senses. It was the same alarm that had signaled to him before that his time in the Velvet Room was up.

“Hmph, it’s time,” Caroline said, tapping her baton on her shoulder, “Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have…”

***

“Big Brother!” I shouted as I shook him. It was still dark, though the light of dawn wasn’t too far off in spite of the dreariness outside. The alarm hadn’t gone off, so we still should have been asleep for another couple hours. But with the way Big Brother had been groaning and writhing in his creaky bed, I couldn’t help but wake up and rush to his side. “Big Brother! Wake up!”

Finally, he snapped his eyes open and looked around. He turned his head to the left, then to the right. He sat up, pulled his long black sleeves down, and rubbed his wrists. To my alarm, Big Brother’s face was paler than usual and he looked like he was going to fall back on the bed.

“Are you okay? Do you need some water or something?” I asked, brushing his wild bedhead out of his eyes.

But he shook his head and looked up at me with a smile.

“I’m fine. I just had a bad dream,” he said. With that kind of tone, wobbly and weak, he had to be lying.

I sat on the edge of his bed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Again, he shook his head and held his smile. “It’s just a dream, Hikari.”

“But you’ve never had a dream that made you act like this,” I countered, “It must have been pretty bad.”

Looking back on it, Big Brother had acted kind of spacey on the day we toured Shujin. But by the time we left, he went right back to normal so I had brushed it off. This time though…

“Don’t worry,” he reassured and grabbed his phone, which had been lying right next to him on the bed. He frowned and set it back. “We should go back to sleep. Or else we’ll both be grumpy in the morning.”

I stared at him for another moment. Big Brother had said to go back to sleep, but with how tense he was, there was no way that was going to happen for him any time soon. So there was only one solution. Although I can’t help but get a little embarrassed, it’s always helped when we were growing up.

“I’m going to get you some warm milk,” I said, standing up, “Then…” I paused as a blush creeped up on me.

“You don’t have to,” he began but I poked his forehead.

“Just…hold on.” I said.

I walked out the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, down the stairs, and traveled around the kitchen. 

“This is a café,” I reasoned. “Sakura-san has to have some milk around here somewhere.” I opened the fridge. “I mean, isn’t milk an ingredient in coffee? I know I’ve seen Big Brother put it in, ah ha.”

I emerged triumphantly with a glass jar of milk. So Sakura-san got his milk delivered the old fashioned way. Interesting to know. I opened the jar, thankful that it had already been opened beforehand so that Sakura-san won’t be asking who had rifled in the fridge and accuse us of stealing. Of course, this may have been me being paranoid but it never hurts to be cautious.

I heated up the stove top, dug out a small sauce pan, poured some of the milk in, and placed it on the heat. After waiting for about forty-five seconds, I turned the heat off, grabbed a spoon out of a drawer and dipped the utensil into the liquid. With a brief tasting, a pinch of cinnamon, and another prayer that Sakura-san wouldn’t find out about it, I poured the milk into two cups. Before completing my quest, I gave the pan a quick scrubbing and replaced both it, the jar of milk, and the cinnamon.

Gripping both cups by their handles, I took measured steps back up the stairs and nudged the door open. Big Brother was still awake and sitting up in his bed, though he wouldn’t touch his phone.

“Here we are,” I sang as I passed one cup over to Big Brother and sat on his bed again.

“Thank you,” he said, his smile a little wider and less strained. He accepted the cup and took a big gulp at the same time I did. “That hit the spot.”

“Glad you like it,” I said, finishing up my milk with another three gulps. When he and I finished our drinks, I took them and walked over to the big shrouded desk next to my bed. Then I went back to his bed and ducked under the covers.

“You really don’t have to do this,” Big Brother said again as he settled into bed as well, “Like you said, we’re not kids anymore.”

“Well,” I turned onto my side and faced the door, “this always helped whenever you had a bad dream. And you always did this for me so…why not?”

He didn’t say anything at that. I snuggled in further.

“And…I’m only saying this once,” I said, “Good night…Big Bro.”

Silence. And then a pat on my head and a shifting of the blankets so that I had more to cuddle into. I looked over my shoulder and smiled when Big Brother’s sleeping face greeted me. The milk had worked its magic and so had our childhood habit. The proof?

Big Brother was smiling.


	12. Retracing Our Steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari noticed something strange about Kojima, but when she tried to talk to her, she ran away. So when Hikari follows her, she encounters a scene between "the princess" and Kamoshida. What was the true nature of the volleyball coach and why did the princess look so despondent?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the Persona franchise, only my OCs. As always, I hope you guys enjoy this! Thank you for everyone who has read this thus far and feel free to leave me a comment at the end! :)

As I had promised, I had left Kojima mostly alone, except for the moments when we had to share textbooks. Which by itself wouldn’t have been awkward except that, well, this was us. Just before Big Brother and I had boarded the subway this morning, I had made a commitment to find a way to apologize to Kojima and at least make some kind of effort to make things better for the two of us. Since we were destined to be sitting next to each other for who knew how long, we might as well make amends. Right?

“Why do you smell like coffee?” Kojima sneezed into her elbow. “And mothballs?”

I paused mid-note taking, hoping that our Mathematics I teacher, Kouda-sensei, an easygoing but passionate man with a great love for the “world of numbers”, wouldn’t catch us talking. Considering this was my hardest class to keep up with, I better make this snappy. Polite, but snappy. Is that a thing?

“Big Brother and I are staying at Leblanc,” I answered, writing down the formula on the board. These numbers were starting to make me a little dizzy. When was I going to use this in the future?

“That old coffee shop?” Kojima whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Why not at a normal house? Were you two kicked out and scrounging around for coffee beans?”

“It’s not like that,” I gritted my teeth, “Sakura-san didn’t have enough room at his place so he’s letting us stay at his café. It’s not as if we’re loitering.”

“Kojima-san. Kurusu-san,” Kouda-sensei called out, tapping the chalkboard with his ruler.

Kojima and I snapped to attention.

“Yes, Kouda-sensei?” we asked simultaneously. The whole class turned to stare at us and I wanted to hide behind my books, borrowed or otherwise.

“Do you two have a question I could help you with?” he asked, “You know you are always free to ask.”

“No thank you Sensei,” we said, once again in unison. Our classmates snickered as I fixed my eyes on my notebook, trying to drown them out. Thankfully, Kouda-sensei got them to stop and we got back to our lessons.

Kojima nudged her notebook towards me like she had yesterday.

'I’m sensitive to dust, so watch it,' it read.

I scrunched my nose and reached over to scribble something back, but when I looked at her directly, I had to make a double take. She hid it well, but underneath her purple streaked hair, there was the makings of a bruise that blended in with her dyed locks. I searched further and, according to the way her left arm shook as she held her notebook, there was something wrong there too.

'What happened to you?' I wrote back.

Kojima read it and any semblance of humor was gone, replaced by the ice queen. She scrawled on her paper and all but shoved it at me.

'Mind your own business.'

Then she snatched her notebook back and didn’t try anything else after that.

Odd, I had thought, completely losing focus in the lesson now. Why had Kojima gone to the trouble of talking to me when she had said she wanted me to leave her alone? More importantly, where did those bruises come from? She had mentioned that she was playing volleyball, so did she get it from that? Was volleyball that dangerous of a sport?

Finally, the final bell rang and everyone started to pack up, Kojima being the quickest of them all. I didn’t know why I did it, and I didn’t bother to think that I might have regretted it later. But when Kojima left the classroom with her bag in tow, I followed her after sliding my own stuff away, forgoing my book holding habit.

“Kojima,” I called after her. She didn’t turn around, but she clearly heard me since she picked up her pace. “Kojima!”

She all but ran down the stairs and disappeared into the crowd before descending the stairs yet again. I would have continued to follow her if I hadn’t almost run into the blonde haired foreign looking girl, the “princess”, and heard a familiar male voice.

“Hey there, Takamaki,” Kamoshida-sensei called, walking behind the princess with a large grin on his face. Maybe he had been aiming for friendliness, but when I blinked, all I saw was the creepy king from the castle in his place. I instinctively hid around the corner of the stairwell, peeking out just a little bit. In another blink, he was a teacher again. “You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents.”

The princess, Takamaki-senpai, looked down and away from Kamoshida-sensei and she fingered her ash blonde curls, styled into lovely pigtails. From her posture, it was clear she wanted nothing to do with this man. It reminded me of Kojima when she had turned away from me.

“Sorry,” she said, “I have a photoshoot today. It’s for the special summer issue, so I can’t afford to miss it…”

Kamoshida-sensei frowned and placed his hands on his hips, looking all the part of a concerned teacher.

“Hey, now,” he began, “Being a model’s fine and dandy, but don’t work your pretty little self to the bone. You mentioned you weren’t feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?”

Wait, are teachers allowed to talk to their students like that? And Takamaki-senpai’s sick? That might explain her attitude but something still didn’t feel right. I didn’t know why, but it just didn’t.

“Yes,” Takamaki-senpai said, still keeping her defensive stance, “I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I’ve been too busy… Sorry to worry you.”

Kamoshida-sensei straightened up and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his arms at his side.

“You must be lonely too,” he said, “I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. That’s why I asked you out in the first place. Oh, and…be careful around that transfer student. He’s got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you…”

‘Asked her out’? Was that even appropriate? And blabbering about Big Brother’s record? That shouldn’t have been anyone’s business let alone something a teacher should be spreading around. I felt my stomach churning as I fought back the urge to march up to that teacher and give him what for. But I had to remember my place and responsibility. He’s a teacher. I’m a student. If I did anything to draw his ire, things were going to blow up in my face and Big Brother was going to suffer. For the moment, I have to keep my proverbial sword in my sheath.

“…Thank you. Please excuse me,” Takamaki-senpai said, bowing her head. This picture of the fairytale princess from yesterday wasn’t right. It was as if the rain from outside had followed her trail and washed out her vibrant colors. As she walked away from us, I almost wanted to cry. Princesses should be smiling and free, getting ready for happily ever after, whatever that may be. Not like this.

“Oh, Kurusu,” Kamoshida-sensei said, pulling out of my revere. He had been making to walk up the stairs but almost ran into me. From this distance, I could smell his cologne and sweat. So this was what they meant when one’s skinned crawled. My skin was literally crawling, though I had to upkeep a good show of respect.

“I’m sorry, Kamoshida-sensei,” I said, bowing before moving to ease past him. However, Kamoshida-sensei sidestepped, blocking my path.

“Oops, sorry about that,” he said with an apologetic smile. I tried moving around him again, but he sidestepped that way as well. “Well look at that. Great minds think alike, don’t they? By the way, I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Kurusu.”

“I’m sorry, Kamoshida-sensei,” I apologized again, “But I have to meet up with Big Brother. We have to get home before the rain got too bad.”

“Hikari,” Big Brother called, stepping up behind Kamoshida-sensei. He held out his hand with an encouraging smile. “Sorry I kept you waiting. Ready to go?”

“Yes,” I said, nearly crying in relief. When I maneuvered around Kamoshida-sensei this time, he didn’t try to block my path. I reached Big Brother and our hands joined, safety in every fingertip.

“Hey, wait a minute, Kurusu,” he paused when we both looked at him. He gestured towards me, his smile not dropping, “Hikari Kurusu.”

“How may I help you, Kamoshida-sensei?” I asked, trying again for a polite tone though I gripped Big Brother’s hand tighter. In response, Big Brother stepped a little closer to me.

“I noticed that you and Kojima are classmates. You know each other?”

“Yes. We came from the same town.”

He nodded, seeming to be pleased with this information. “If you’d like, why don’t you join the volleyball team? We’re always looking for new members and I’m sure Kojima would like a friend. She’s always hanging around with one other team member but she hasn’t been able to spend as much time with her lately so…”

I shook my head and tried to unjumble the knot in my throat.

“I-I’m not really interested in volleyball, Kamoshida-sensei,” I mumbled.

“Hikari, we need to go,” Big Brother said, tugging my hand and leading me towards the stairs. He paused to glance at Kamoshida-sensei and sisterly pride scared away the anxiety I had felt earlier. On the outside, Big Brother had been calm and polite. But his eyes held the same fire as they had yesterday in the castle dungeon.

With that, Big Brother and I were on our way out. The whispers of blasphemous words against him and the contemptuous looks they gave us burnt. If these rumors were really going to blow over, when was that going to be? Hopefully sooner than later. Surely there would be more interesting news they could gossip about.

“Yo,” Ryuji-senpai greeted as Big Brother and I crossed the school gates. A friendly face. Just what the doctor ordered on this dreary day.

“Good afternoon Ryuji-senpai,” I greeted as I released Big Brother’s hand and reached into an outside pocket on my book bag, holding out his handkerchief. “I cleaned it this morning. Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

“Hey, no prob,” Ryuji-senpai said with a smile as he accepted the cloth and tucked it into his back pocket.

From my peripheral vision, Big Brother smiled at us. I knew what he was thinking: ‘She’s making friends. Great work.’ In return, I fiddled with my bag strap, missing my book already.

“So, what’s up?” Big Brother asked Ryuji-senpai, “I don’t think you came just to pick up a handkerchief.”

“I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday,” Ryuji-senpai answered, crossing his arms, “I tried tellin’ myself it was all just a dream…but I couldn’t do it.” He furrowed his eyebrows and a frown tugged the corners of his mouth. “I can’t act like nothing happened. It’s all connected to Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find out what’s up with that place, no matter what.” He shrugged. “And y’know, you’re the only people I can rely on for this stuff. So, you guys in?”

Big Brother and I glanced at each other. In another instant, we turned back to Ryuji-senpai and nodded.

“Sure. What next?” Big Brother said. Ryuji-senpai grinned like the notorious cat who caught the canary.

“Ooh… Looks like I managed to talk some sense into you.” He stretched his arms and readjusted his bag. “I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday.” He turned towards the direction we usually used when going towards the café. “In the meantime, you’re walkin’ to the station, right? Let’s go together. Lemme know if you notice any other weird buildings on the way.”

On one hand, this likely wasn’t the wisest idea. Considering how we had made Sakura-san worry already, it probably would have been better to forge on home. But on the other hand, if we did find that castle, we might be able to see Morgana again and check up on him. He had assured me that he was going to be okay, but he’s still a cute little fluff ball. Who could wield a sword swinging desperado. And had a sharp tongue to match his, what was it called, “Persona’s” sharp blade.

And so we were off. We kept walking until we had reached the same awning from where we had met yesterday. Ryuji-senpai stopped and we followed suit.

“If a huge castle like that really exists, I’m sure we’ll find it in no time,” he declared and he scratched his chin as if in thought, “…When’d they build something like that though?” He looked left and then he looked right. “We walked that way from here, right?”

“Maybe,” Big Brother said, not looking too assured himself for once.

“When you put it that way, I’m not so sure anymore…” Ryuji-senpai said, his posture slumping over. 

“Then we went down an alley, last time I checked,” I said, recalling the “shortcut” Ryuji-senpai had mentioned before we saw the castle.

“Right,” Ryuji-senpai confirmed with a nod, though he still didn’t seem too confident. “…All right, this way. Lemme know if you notice something.” 

Then he walked off towards the direction we had used in accordance to our steps from yesterday. Everything had gone on as we had remembered it, however, when we finished our walk, we ended up at the school gates. Ryuji-senpai’s eyes grew owlish.

“Huh…?” he said, running a hand through his bleached hair, “We’re at school… There wasn’t anything out of place along the way, right? I didn’t see no castle either…” He sighed. “We must’ve made a wrong turn somewhere.”

“We went the right way though, I’m sure of it,” I said, taking in our surroundings. Though several students still exiting the school gave us strange faces, nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was as it should be.

“I think you’re right, but I guess we should just…try again? To be double sure?” Big Brother suggested, though he looked ready to drop this errand and go home. 

Ryuji-senpai nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t mess up this time. Let’s go.” Then we proceeded to retrace our steps, which only lead us straight back to the school, though there were no more students walking about. Ryuji-senpai hung his head. “For real?” he mumbled.

We had followed every possible landmark we thought we had come across from our trek. Even the history in the map app in our phones confirmed that we had walked the same path. There was no arguing that we had done our homework, but we were coming up with no answers.

“Is it smaller than we think it is?” Ryuji-senpai, leaning against the stone wall just outside the gate.

“I’d think that someone would have noticed something that weird,” I said, playing with my braid, “It’s not like there’s an amusement park nearby, right?”

“Not around here,” Ryuji-senpai replied, “You’d have to take the subway or somethin’ for that.” He turned to Big Brother. “What do you think?”

“Check on your phone,” he suggested.

“I already did that,” Ryuji-senpai said, shrugging, “I didn’t see anything like it around here…” But suddenly, his dismal look shot to life and he straightened up. “Huh? Phone…” He paused and gestured towards Big Brother’s phone, which he had taken out during our walk. “Hey, that reminds me – didn’t you have a navigation app thingy on, back then?”

“Navigation app?” Big Brother asked, playing with his front locks with a thoughtful expression.

“I dunno if it was or not,” Ryuji-senpai admitted, kicking the front of his shoe against the cement, “but I heard stuff that sounded like one comin’ from your phone.”

“I think I did too,” I affirmed, releasing my braid and digging out my own phone, scrolling through it.

“Right,” Ryuji-senpai agreed, “I mean, y’know, didn’t it say stuff like ‘returned to the real world’ or something like that?” He held out his hand. “Lemme see your phone for a bit.” Big Brother complied and Ryuji-senpai fiddled with it. “What’s this eyeball-lookin’ thing?”

“I can’t delete it…” Big Brother said.

“Wait, what?” Ryuji-senpai asked. He turned to me. “D’you have it too?”

I shook my head. “No,” I tucked my phone back into my bag, “but it won’t go away no matter how many times he deleted it so it can’t be normal. And if it really did take us to another world, then maybe it’s a special app that only certain people are allowed to get. I highly doubt we’d be able to find it in the app store.”

“What a weird app…” Ryuji-senpai looked back down at Big Brother’s phone. Then his eyebrows shot up. “…Oh wait, this is it!” He thrust the phone into our faces and he acted like a child on Christmas morning who had gotten everything on his wish list. “I knew it – it IS a navigation app! There’s even your search history! Oh man, I’m such a genius!”

He looked so proud and excited that I couldn’t find it in myself to remind him how dangerous it had been the last time we had visited that world. But it wasn’t like I didn’t want to go in spite of the risks, and there was no way I was going to let Big Brother go without me. Also, since we had already seen what was up ahead, we weren’t going in blind.

“Let’s try usin’ it,” Ryuji-senpai suggested.

“But I don’t know how,” Big Brother said, tilting his head.

“Then I’ll do it,” Ryuji-senpai said, pressing the screen. Immediately, a female’s voice rang out.

“Kamoshida… Shujin Academy… Pervert… Castle… Beginning navigation.”

“There we go!” Ryuji-senpai cheered, shaking Big Brother’s phone. He brought it back up to his face. “…Then, we went in a certain direction, and,”

Big Brother began to fidget and he looked upwards.

“Big Brother? Are you,” I began, moving to grasp his hand.

“Hey, what’re you,” Ryuji-senpai said at the same time.

Then we noticed it. Everything had turned a violent shade of pink and purple and visible waves surrounded us. Ryuji-senpai looked back at Big Brother’s phone and almost dropped it.

“What the hell!?” he exclaimed.

Big Brother looked over Ryuji-senpai’s shoulder and I had to stand on my tip toes a bit in order to see. What I saw made me cry out and cover my mouth. In front of us was the creepy red eyeball, but magnified to a greater degree to where it engulfed the entire screen though red static blurred the picture here and there.

Red and black circles appeared and disappeared all around us, blurring the reality we had known and shifting it into something completely new and terrible. In an instant, the castle stood proud before us in place of Shujin academy. 

For a moment, I had one thought: ‘This was a mistake.’


	13. Break Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira, Hikari, and Ryuji reentered the world they had worked so hard to escape in order to gain some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to update but life was meh. XP Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try to upload another one soon!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the Persona franchise. I only own my OCs.

We should have run away when we had the chance. If I had pulled Big Brother away from that situation, then maybe we would have been spared from falling any further into the darkness this world called forth. However, if we had turned away, who knows how things would have gone? Ryuji-senpai, Takamaki-senpai, Kojima, what would have happened to them? It would have killed Big Brother to stand by and do nothing, and I wouldn’t have been any better than the adults who turned their backs on us.

After the initial shock of reencountering the imposing castle, the three of us approached it as quietly as we could. Even though there wasn’t anyone around, it wouldn’t hurt to have at least a little bit of caution, especially considering how well things had gone last time. And by “well”, I meant that we were lucky enough to get out alive and live to not tell the tale and convince ourselves it was just a bad dream. Of course, some things couldn’t stay within the realm of dreams.

“We made it back…” Ryuji-senpai said, still apparently not quite believing we had been able to do so, “That means what happened yesterday was for real too…”

I shivered as a stray cold breeze ghosted along the back of my neck and I turned to Big Brother to ask him something before I jumped.

“B-Big Brother! Again…!” I said.

Ryuji-senpai turned and had the same reaction. “…Yeargh! Those clothes…!”

Big Brother’s eyes, from underneath his black and white mask, widened and drew his red gloved hands close to his face. Then he looked down at the rest of him and his mouth opened and closed without a word. He had reverted back to his debonair dark suit that he had donned the other day when he had summoned Arsene.

“That happened last time too, huh!? What’s with that outfit!?” Ryuji-senpai asked, crossing his arms.

“Not bad, huh?” Big Brother asked, his surprise melting away to flash a dashing grin. I couldn’t help but smile as well. This was just one of the many sides of Big Brother I loved and admired. This was the kind of person he was when no adults were around to tell him how to behave: strong, confident, and someone who happens to enjoy an occasional thrill every now and then.

“You LIKE it!?” Ryuji-senpai asked, shaking his head.

“I don’t know,” I said and laughed, “I think it suits him. Got his size right and everything.” Big Brother smiled back at me.

“That’s beside the point!” Ryuji-senpai stressed, glaring at the both of us and then at the sky. “What’s goin’ on here!? This makes no effin’ sense at all…” He ground the toe of his left shoe into the brick floor.

“Hey!”

A harsh whisper sent me jumping and I was tempted to hide behind Big Brother. It wasn’t very “knight-like” but this world was prime for setting nerves on edge if one was careless. Maybe if I had powers like Big Brother, then perhaps I would be less of a worrywart here and a little more courageous in this world and the other.

“Stop making a commotion.” A tiny figure stepped out of the shadows. A tiny cat-like figure to be more precise.

“Ah… You!?” Ryuji-senpai exclaimed, recognizing the newcomer. 

Morgana revealed himself, irritation written all over his furry little face, though his expression softened when he turned to me.

“I’m sorry if I scared you Miss,” he apologized before glaring at the other two, “but the Shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be...” He shook his head and his glare turned to one of pity and exasperation. “To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape.”

“We’re sorry Morgana,” I began, “but, well, we had some questions and we were worried about you after we left and,”

“Yeah, she wouldn’t stop begging me to check up on you,” Big Brother said, patting my head.

“I did not,” I argued, suddenly eager to wipe that smirk off his face. He wasn’t lying, but he was. I was worried. But not that much. Really.

“What is this place?” Ryuji-senpai cut in. He jerked a thumb towards the castle. “Is it the school?”

“That’s right,” Morgana confirmed as he flicked his pointy ears.

“But it’s a castle!” Ryuji-senpai snapped, stomping his foot.

“This castle IS the school,” Morgana rubbed his paws together, “…But only to this castle’s ruler.”

“The castle’s ruler…?” Ryuji-senpai scratched his hair.

“I think you called him Kamoshida?” Morgana placed his paws on his hips, giving us a knowing look. “It’s how his distorted heart views the school.”

“Kamoshida… Distorted…” Ryuji-senpai repeated, scrunching his eyebrows.

“Is that why we can still see the distortions in our world?” I asked, “I didn’t see Kamoshida-sensei much, but I’ve seen him look and act like he had when we were here and no one said a thing. So I assumed,”

“You too?” Big Brother asked me. If he was raising an eyebrow underneath that mask, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.

“Explain it in a way that makes sense!” Ryuji-senpai demanded.

“I shouldn’t have expected a moron to get it…” Morgana sighed, giving a pointed glare at Ryuji-senpai.

“What’d you say!?” Ryuji-senpai growled.

A piercing scream interrupted us and my stomach turned. That type of scream wasn’t the kind of sound that anyone should have uttered. It was a cry of terror and pain unlike anything one would hear outside a horror film.

“What was that!?” Ryuji-senpai cried.

“What’s going on!?” I added. Big Brother recoiled and scanned the area. Though he hadn’t said a thing, even beneath the mask I could see a mix of panic and adrenaline surging through him. If we weren’t careful, he was going to charge into the castle and try to save the victim. Or victims.

“It must be the slaves captive here,” Morgana said like it was a normal thing.

“For real!?” Ryuji-senpai asked, staring at the cat. Another agonized cry ripped through the air and he jumped. “Oh, shit… It’s for real! We saw other guys held captive here yesterday… I’m pretty sure they’re from our school.”

Morgana nodded. “Most likely on Kamoshida’s orders,” he shrugged, “It’s nothing out of the ordinary; it’s like that every day here. What’s more, you three escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit.”

Ryuji-senpai cursed and his eyes turned stormy.

“Ryuji?” Morgana asked, his casual tone softened to one of genuine concern.

I didn’t know much about Ryuji-senpai at the time, but from what I had seen and heard, something had happened between him and Kamoshida-sensei in the past. Something so horrible that the kind and brave senpai I saw before me would turn into a caged animal at the mere mention of the teacher’s name. Things weren’t pleasant between me and Kamoshida-sensei either, but this was on an entirely different level.

Ryuji-senpai turned and rammed his shoulder against the castle door with such force that the large doors, at least five times his size, shook and rattled. But it didn’t open.

“You hear me, Kamoshida!?” he roared.

“Doing that isn’t going to open it, you know…” Morgana said, his ears turned downwards, “Still, it seems you have your reasons.”

Ryuji-senpai stepped back from the doors and walked up to Morgana. 

“Hey, Monamona!”

“It’s Morgana!” he corrected, his fur bristling.

“Do you know where those voices are comin’ from…?”

“You want me to take you to them?” Morgana frowned as his tail flicked. He looked between us and seemed to consider Ryuji-senpai’s request. “…Well, I guess I could guide you there.” He raised a paw at Big Brother. “But only if he comes with us.” Then he pointed to me. “And I’m going to have to ask you to stay as close to us as you can, Miss. It wouldn’t be good if Kamoshida got his hands on you.”

I nodded, shuddering at the memory of our encounter back at school combined with the treatment during our first visit.

“Don’t worry, I will.” I promised.

“Actually,” Big Brother laid a hand on my shoulder, “I think it might be better if you left.”

“What!?” I stepped away from him and his grip. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest, but I had to stay calm. Now was not the time to throw a tantrum. “But Big Brother, I can help. I know I can.”

“It’s just, I would feel better if you stayed somewhere safe. Away from here,” he explained, raising both hands and resting them on my shoulders. “If I have to fight, I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect all of us. I don’t want you getting hurt.” He smiled and used one hand to pat my head. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Those words. Again. _I’ll be back before you know it_. Tears threatened to burn down my face but I had to breathe. Think. How was I going to get this through to him?

“Hey, Frizzy Hair,” Morgana called, giving a catty grin, “you’re not the only fighter in this group. Remember?” He flashed his curved sword out from behind him and rested the non-sharpened end across his tiny shoulders. “I can take care of Ryuji if you’d like to look out for her. She’s your sister, right? That way, it evens out.”

“C’mon man,” Ryuji-senpai added with his own smile, “she was pretty handy with the medicine earlier. And that punch she gave Kamoshida wasn’t half bad either.”

“And I’m not taking no for an answer. Not this time.” I finished.

Big Brother looked like he wanted to say something else but I took both of his hands and squeezed them. I didn’t say or do anything else. Our eyes didn’t break contact and neither of us wanted to give in. However, Big Brother sighed and shook my hands.

“If I tell you to run, you run. Got it?” he asked.

“Deal.”

“It’s settled then!” The cat purred as he bounced up and down.

“For real…!?” Ryuji-senpai gasped, a smile banishing the anxiety and anger away from his features. “…Thanks, man,” he finished with a more subdued tone, though his gratitude still stood strong.

“All right, let’s do this. Follow me!” And with that, Morgana tucked away his sword, which looked abnormally large for such a petite self-declared non-cat, and dashed around the corner. After a short bit, he led us towards the exit hole we had crawled out of yesterday. “This is our infiltration point,” he explained.

“Ain’t that where we escaped outta last time…?” Ryuji-senpai questioned.

“That’s right,” Morgana agreed, “Not barging in through the entrance is one of the basics of phantom thievery.”

“How’re we supposed to know about that stuff…?” Ryuji-senpai asked.

“I’ve read a few books that featured thieves here and there,” I volunteered, “The idea of being a thief is to be crafty, silent, sneaky, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. If a thief wants to get in somewhere, and the front door isn’t the only option, then taking an unexpected detour is the best way to do it.”

“Exactly,” Morgana said with a nod, “You might lend some of your books to Ryuji, Miss.” Ryuji-senpai grumbled in return.

“You can call me Hikari,” I said.

“Very well, Hikari,” Morgana said. Then he leaped up to a nearby stack of crates and then over to the entrance point. The way he moved reminded me of the way Big Brother fought yesterday: smooth, graceful, and almost too agile to be normal. Then again, nothing about this place seemed normal, so why not? “I’ll make sure to teach you guys more as we go. Come on, follow me!”

Big Brother moved to jump up himself before Ryuji-senpai called out to him. He scratched the back of his head and looked off to the side, a look of sheepish guilt on his face.

“So, uh…sorry for draggin’ you into all this…” he mumbled, “But I just can’t forgive Kamoshida doin’ whatever the hell he wants!” Then he eased into a smile with a nervous chuckle. “Really though, thanks for comin’ along. I owe you big time!”

Big Brother smiled and nodded. Then we followed after Morgana. Big Brother went in first in order to see if it was safe to go inside just in case something had happened to Morgana in the event he had been ambushed while we were talking. I went in next and Ryuji-senpai trailed after us. 

It was kind of funny. Big Brother was able to jump in as easily as Morgana had done earlier but Ryuji-senpai and I struggled to copy their moves. I had to use Ryuji-senpai’s cupped hands as a stepping stool (he made sure to look away when I got too close) and Big Brother pulled me up the rest of the way. Finally, Ryuji-senpai climbed the crates and stretched out one hand and then the other as we each caught one respectively. As we pulled him up and he used his feet to walk upwards on the wall to help us out, I had come to the conclusion that it was because of Big Brother’s upgrade that he was able to pull off those amazing feats. He had never been a gymnast nor was he ever on a sports team, though he had played the occasional baseball back home. So whatever he was doing, it didn’t come naturally.

We all clamored out of the hole and our feet made contact with the black and white checkered marbled floor. The ventilation shaft cover from last time had been removed from the room. Why Kamoshida-sensei hadn’t bothered to have it reattached, I didn’t know, but it provided us with a way in, so I wasn’t about to complain. Unless it was a trap, in which case I would have keep an eye out in the event he tried to pull anything.

“Man, this place is as creepy as always,” Ryuji-senpai shuddered.

Morgana hummed in agreement. “Now, make sure you do exactly as I say, all right?” He ran out the room and paused in the doorway, waving at us. “Follow me!”

With how fast the cat was going, I was surprised that any one of us was able to keep up. Well, to be fair, my short legs weren’t helping out too much and Ryuji-senpai, though he was a decent runner, seemed to be moving with a slight limp. During our first trip, I was too occupied with my own thoughts that I hadn’t noticed it earlier. Did he injure his leg in the past?

“Hey,” Ryuji-senpai said as we came to a pause in the main entrance way, “We went by here when we came in the front…”

For a moment, the large room shifted and wavered until we were standing in the entrance hall of Shujin Academy before our surroundings reverted back to its grandiose settings.  


“What the…!?” Ryuji-senpai exclaimed.

I massaged the back of my neck as a headache started to emerge in response to the dizzying movement. Big Brother rubbed his temples.

“I was seein’ double or something just now…!” Ryuji-senpai said, shaking his head. “Was that Shujin!?”

“I’ve told you before,” Morgana said, “This place is your school. Regardless, we don’t have the time to stand around. Who knows when a Shadow might show up?” He nodded towards the doorway leading to the dungeons. “Come on, this way!” Then he scampered onwards with us in tow.

Keeping true to my word, I stayed close and behind Big Brother and tried to stay out of his way. The further we traveled down the stairs and towards the dungeon, the sharper the memories of our previous encounter came to mind. When we had reached the gate separating the stairway and our goal, a Shadow knight lumbered close by and we took cover by the metal bars.

“Darn…” Morgana groaned in a whisper, “I had a feeling there would be guards here… It looks like we won’t be able to avoid conflict from this point forward.”

“F-For real…?” Ryuji-senpai stuttered.

“Oh well.” Morgana shrugged. “I’ll just teach you the basics of battle right now. You had better remember all of this. As a rule of thumb, try to ambush as many enemies as you can. Attack them from behind whenever possible.” He went on to explain how Big Brother needed to rip off their masks in order to reveal their true identities. If the Palace Ruler isn’t able to maintain control over the Shadows and we got the preemptive hand on them, we would be free to fight without raising any alarms.

Note to self: After leaving this world, get more books about thievery. And castles. While not looking suspicious.

“So we wanna ambush ‘em and go for the first strike…” Ryuji-senpai summed up with an excited grin. “All right, I got it!”

“Uh, you know you’re just going to be watching, right?” Morgana reminded him. “You can’t use a Persona…”

“Hikari,” Big Brother began.

“I know,” I said, “You tell me to run, I run.”

“And stay with Ryuji.”

“Got it.”

“Don’t worry Akira,” Ryuji-senpai reassured, “she’s safe with me.”

Neither of us were really safe, not without Personas, but it was a lot better to stay together than to have nothing at all, so I didn’t say anything. Besides, there was no need to feed the anxiety that I knew was brewing within Big Brother. I didn’t need him turning us around and shoving me out of here because of one wrong word or move.

“Come on! Let’s go!” Morgana called.

Casting one last glance at us, Big Brother followed after Morgana and proceeded to trail after the Shadow. With steps as silent as night, the two of them crept closer to their quarry and I held my breath as I hid behind Ryuji-senpai. The more distance the duo covered, the tighter Ryuji-senpai’s grip grew on the metal railing. 

For a heart stopping moment, the Shadow paused in its marching and turned its head this way and that. The cumbersome armor it had on prevented it from being able to look over its shoulders, but that wasn’t going to stop it from turning around and discovering its assailants. However, just before it spun around, Big Brother leaped onto its back and reached over. In one fluid movement, and a brief tug, the Shadow’s mask was removed and the knightly form melted away to reveal a lone jack-o-lantern with a blue witch’s cape and hat and wielding an old fashioned lantern.

As they fought, Morgana shouted instructions to Big Brother as he jumped away from the enemies attacks and summoned Arsene to fight it off with Zorro’s aid. The two of them together created such a spectacle that it was like they had choreographed this very scenario to a T. Zorro’s blade that summoned the winds combined with Arsene’s dark magic was poetry in motion. Of course, Big Brother’s performance was awe-inspiring already but I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. He was still a beginner and Morgana’s advice was the only thing keeping him steady. Without the cat’s aid, Big Brother would have been riding on instinct like he had the first time he fought. Instinct and talent could only get one so far without the aid of seasoned instruction.

Finally, with one last flick of Morgana’s sword, the Shadow fell and vanished with barely a whisper.

“Okay, let’s go.” Morgana whispered and trailed off down the path. Without another word, we followed. I wanted to stop and compliment Big Brother’s fight, but it wasn’t the time and place to stop for a chat. Even though the Shadow had been caught off guard, that didn’t mean we were out of trouble. Maybe I could make him something later to show him my appreciation. Omelets perhaps.

As we traveled, we peered into the cells but there was no one to be found. Not even in the cell that Ryuji-senpai had paused by yesterday just before we left.

“Why ain’t anyone here…?” Ryuji-senpai asked, looking around. He stopped by every cell nearby and came up empty. “Dammit, they were here before! Where’d they go!?”

“Quiet down!” Morgana hissed.

“Maybe they were moved somewhere else?” I ventured.

“When we escaped, Kamoshida might have taken them in case they tried to do the same thing?” Big Brother asked.

“Oh yeah,” Ryuji-senpai perked up and he smacked one fist into an open palm, “There were more of ‘em further in too…!” He dashed off without another word.

“They might have been transferred already…” Morgana said, watching Ryuji-senpai run off. It wasn’t too long until he came dashing back and out of breath.

“Crap,” he cursed as sweat beaded down his brow, “I can hear footsteps comin’! Lots of ‘em!”

“It would be a problem if they discovered us now…” Morgana muttered. He scanned the area and ran towards a set of double doors on our left. “Hey, let’s head into that room. We should be able to hide in there until they leave.”

We didn’t waste any time. Just as Ryuji-senpai had reported, metallic footsteps drew closer to us and their stomps grew louder and louder. Although adrenaline was coursing through us, prompting a quick escape and closing of the door, we had to be careful to not slam the door shut. With what we hoped was an inaudible click, we were separated from our enemies if at least for a moment.

The room we had found ourselves in was a bit snug, smaller than Sakura-san’s café shop, but it did the job. It was littered with a couple wooden tables, chairs, and a few crates and a lone lantern created a dim light within the stony room.

“The Shadows probably won’t come in here,” Morgana concluded, jumping onto one of the tables. Big Brother stumbled towards a chair and I shoved it closer to him and aided in settling him down. Though he didn’t seem injured, the battle from earlier and our escape must have taken the wind out of him. Ryuji-senpai collapsed onto another chair and exhaled.

“How can you tell?” he asked in between breaths.

“There’s a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler’s control over this area is weak,” Morgana explained as he looked around the room.

“How could that be?” I asked, “If the ruler was the one in charge of the Palace, how could he have any weak areas? A castle is a king’s stronghold.”

“But does a king really know everything that happens inside his castle?” Morgana asked.

Instantly, the room shifted and for a moment, it looked like we were standing inside a classroom before shifting back.

“Is this a classroom…!?” Ryuji-senpai asked, scanning the room from where he sat.

“Now do you understand?” Morgana asked, “This place is another reality that the ruler’s heart projects.”

“This is Kamoshida’s reality…?” Ryuji-senpai asked, shaking his head, “Shit makes no sense at all.”

“One could say it’s a world in which one’s distorted desires have materialized,” Morgana went on, “I call such a place a ‘Palace’.”

“A Palace…?” Ryuji-senpai repeated.

I toyed with my braid, something I sometimes did when I brainstormed.

“So in other words, it’s like that phrase, ‘I think, therefore I am’,” I said, “Whatever Kamoshida-sensei thinks he is, that’s what he believes and he acts in such a way that makes it true.”

“And since he’s only a gym teacher and not in charge of a classroom,” Big Brother said, “that’s why we’re safe here. He has no power in a classroom like a normal teacher does.”

“You two catch on fast,” Morgana purred. “You’re right. This is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle.”

“So, it became like this ‘cause he just thought of it like that!?” Ryuji-senpai asked. The more he talked, the more bewildered he became. He gave out a hollow laugh before exploding out a curse.

“You must really hate this Kamoshida guy,” Morgana mused, paws on his hips.

“Hate doesn’t even cover how I feel,” he spat out, the venom in his words all but visible. He sprang up to his feet and clenched his fists. “Everything is that asshole’s fault!”

Morgana turned away, his ears flattened, and his tone became softer though his words remained strong.

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but don’t let your emotions get the better of you,” he warned, “His lackeys are everywhere inside.” He glanced at Big Brother and pulled out a smile. “You’re curious about your outfit, aren’t you?”

Though the question had been aimed at Big Brother, we all nodded.

“Yeah,” Ryuji-senpai said as he crossed his arms, a little calmer than before, “I’m curious as hell about it too.”

“Is this going to happen every time he comes in here?” I asked.

“Yes, because that’s also because of this world,” Morgana said.

“More stuff that makes no sense…” Ryuji-senpai grumbled as he leaned against a wall.

“Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his Palace,” Morgana explained, “A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to prevent such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion.” He waved a paw at Big Brother. “Your appearance is a manifestation of that. It’s the image of rebellion that you hold within.”

“Uuugh, I’m so fed up with all this!” Ryuji-senpai growled, “I’m more curious about you than his clothes! What the hell are you anyways!?”

At that, Morgana bristled and the fur on his back stood up.

“I’m a human – an honest-to-god human!”

“No, you’re obviously more like a cat!”

“This is, well…” Morgana trailed off and looked off to the side, an awkward look on his face. “It’s because I lost my true form.” He paused. “…I think.”

“You think?” Ryuji-senpai prodded.

“What did you look like before Morgana?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

“I…I don’t remember,” he admitted, seeming to shrink in on himself and I immediately felt guilty. But before I could say anything, he perked right back up. “But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means.” His ears flattened again. “Well, I ended up getting caught though…” Then he jumped and scrunched his nose. “Besides, I’ve been tortured by Kamoshida too! I’m gonna make him pay for sure!”

“What is this, a comic book?” Ryuji-senpai asked, “This is seriously crazy…”

“If we’re gonna keep going, we should hurry along,” Morgana prompted. He looked towards Big Brother with an expectant stare. “I’ll be counting on your skills this time too, rookie. Got it?”

Big Brother nodded as he stood back up.

“Don’t worry,” Ryuji-senpai said, “I’m not gonna force it all on you. I thought it might help, so…” He tugged something out from his pocket and I gasped and covered my mouth.

“How did you…” I began, “I mean, wha…?”

He smiled and shook his head.

“Don’t worry. It’s not what you think.” He extended it to Big Brother. “I brought this just in case. It’s a model gun though, so it only makes sounds.”

“That’s a toy!” Morgana remarked.

“It doesn’t look like one to me though…” I admitted, “But it might be useful. Right?”

“Exactly!” Ryuji-senpai agreed, “Even though it’s not real, it’ll at least fake ‘em out. I brought some medicine too. You know what they say: ‘Providin’ is pre…something’. Huh? Huh?”

“So you were planning this from the start…” Morgana mumbled, “Well, fine. If you’re ready to go, we’ll resume our infiltration.”

“I volunteer for medicine duty!” I cheered, opening my bag.

“Alright! Here you go!” Ryuji-senpai agreed as he placed a few things into it. “And here you go!” he added as he handed the model gun over to Big Brother.

After a few minutes of conferring and coming to the conclusion that the other prisoners had indeed been moved to another room, Morgana advised that we should wait and eavesdrop on any guards who may have still been patrolling the area. It was thanks to that advice that we were able to miss what sounded like a sizeable gathering of Shadows talking to each other outside. From what we gathered, they were already growing suspicious after one of their comrades had failed to show up for a guard change shift. They had also confirmed our own suspicions about the prisoners, or “slaves” in their words, had been transferred to another room, the “training room” as they called it.

It wasn’t until the group dispersed that we dared to poke our heads out. When no one came after us, we stepped fully out into the open.

“They said trainin’ hall, right?” Ryuji-senpai asked.

“I think that’s just a little further ahead. Let’s go!” Morgana said.


	14. Rise and Rebel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is heading towards the dungeons and what they discovered was beyond what they could have thought possible. What exactly was running through this teacher's head?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! ^^ Thank you for everyone who has been reading this up to this point and for sticking with me. I know that things have been kinda slow paced (completely my bad), but now I'm trying a technique that will help me match the format I use to type in Microsoft Word and match it as close as I could to AO3's format.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave a comment/critique!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the Persona franchise. I only own my OCs.

After Big Brother and Morgana got rid of the Shadows ahead of us, we found an underground passageway that led us even further down the dungeon that I had thought possible. The more steps we crept down, the colder the air got. It was a good thing Big Brother had that long jacket and Morgana had his fur, but these blazers aren’t able to completely block out the cold. At least we were moving. That is until our group rounded a corner and Big Brother came to a shuddering halt and pushed us all backwards.

“Shadows,” he whispered, ducking down onto one knee and peering over the corner. I took a peek over his shoulder and, sure enough, there were two Shadows talking to each other. Apparently they were starting to take real notice of the sudden shortage of guards and they were getting agitated.

“Hey,” one Shadow called out to the other, “have you seen anyone who looks like an intruder?”

“No, nobody yet…” the other Shadow replied, seeming rather jumpy underneath his clanging suit of armor.

“Shoot…” Morgana hissed next to Big Brother as Ryuji-senpai knelt behind him, “I had a feeling there would be a lot of enemies. It’d be impossible to dodge all of them…”

“Then, what do we do?” Ryuji-senpai asked, “Should we try and take ‘em down like before?”

Morgana shook his head. “It’s not that simple. We still have a long way to go, so we should be conserving energy.”

“I-I see… Sorry…” Ryuji-senpai mumbled, bowing his head, “Dammit, I wish I could fight… I’d at least be able to help out a little bit… But all I got is this toy from earlier… I’m such a loser.”

“I feel the same way Ryuji-senpai…” I admitted before I could stop myself. But of course, Big Brother caught on.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” he said, careful to keep his voice down as he kept an eye on the retreating Shadows, “We’ll get in, and we’ll get out. The less we fight, the faster we’ll be.” I started to say something else but Big Brother turned and placed a red gloved finger on his lips, his eyes sharp and alert like a hawk’s. _Not now_ , he seemed to say. Then he turned back around and scanned the hallway.

It was no use arguing. Ryuji-senpai didn’t have a Persona and neither did I. We were in no position to dictate how the tide of battle should go while Big Brother and Morgana risked their lives on the frontlines. At this point, the best we could do for them was to take cover and stay out of the way. Still…another Persona user would be really helpful right now. Especially if that’s something I could do. At least that way I wouldn’t feel as useless as I did now.

“Wait a minute…” Morgana said, twitching his ears and pointing to the fake gun Ryuji-senpai had given Big Brother earlier, “Ryuji, do you mean that gun?”

“Yeah…” Ryuji-senpai nodded then shrugged. “It looks real n’ all, but it doesn’t shoot anything…”

“I see…” Morgana purred and a bright gleam escaped his eyes. “Well, there is a way…” He nodded with vigor. “OK, we’ll use that to take down the enemies!”

“M-Morgana…” I whispered, “The guards are still there. We’re getting too loud.”

“What!?” Ryuji-senpai exclaimed at the same time, “Were you listenin’ to me? It don’t even shoot pellets…”

Clanking foot stomps drew closer and I thought my heart was going to stop. Metal scraped against metal as growls accompanied their chaotic music. They had heard us talking and now they were coming to get us.

“Don’t worry,” Morgana threw out quickly, “I’m sure this’ll work. Attack away, Frizzy Hair!” The feline patted Big Brother’s back and flashed him a confident grin. Big Brother, ready and willing to try anything to protect the group from the incoming enemy, gripped his fake gun.

“Leave it to me,” he assured.

“Wait, dude!” Ryuji-senpai called, “I keep sayin’, it’s not gonna fire anything!”

“Big Brother, stop!” I cried, but he had already shot out from our hiding spot and charged at the enemy. I rummaged through my school bag and withdrew one of the medicine bottles that Ryuji-senpai had given me earlier.

However, before I could blink, sharp bangs echoed in the hallway and the enemies, now revealed to be a pixie and a pale pink plant creature, fell to the ground and pressed their hands over their wounds. Big Brother finished off the pixie and withdrew his gun, which had fired what looked like ACTUAL shots at the monsters, and summoned Arsene. With one dark curse uttered, the plant sustained serious damage until Morgana finished it off with a flick of his slingshot.

Where he got the slingshot, I couldn’t guess. But nothing in this world really made sense so I didn’t see any point in trying to understand that part. However, what Big Brother just did was something else.

“Did you guys just…” I began, trying to wrap my head around what I had just seen. A toy was made into a weapon. Just like that. Big Brother didn’t have to do anything except aim and shoot. That wasn’t something a teenager was supposed to be able or should do.

“Did that toy gun just shoot real freakin’ bullets!?” Ryuji-senpai asked, nearly falling over himself as he tried to catch up with this new piece of reality.

“This is a cognitive world,” Morgana explained, preening his whiskers, “As long as our opponent sees it as real, it becomes such. It's a good thing it’s realistic-looking.”

“So, in this world,” I said, “the rules of reality don’t just apply to the ruler of this Palace, but also to whoever lives inside. Only this time, Big Brother was able to use it to his advantage.”

“…I don’t get it,” Ryuji-senpai admitted as he scrunched his brows.

“I wasn’t expecting someone with your brains to understand,” Morgana crowed. As I was contemplating how best to inform Morgana of my increasing dislike of his behavior to Ryuji-senpai, he looked between Big Brother and I, “How about you, Frizzy Hair? Miss? Did you get what I said?”

“It’s simple logic,” Big Brother confirmed with a crooked grin. The appalled look Ryuji-senpai sent him made me snort. It was unlady-like and I knew my parents would have been scandalized at the sound, but they weren’t here so I didn’t care.

“‘I think, therefore I am’…” I repeated the quote I had spoken earlier. “Simple, no?”

“Heh, just as I was expecting,” Morgana purred, tucking his slingshot away to who knew where or how.

“Wait,” Ryuji-senpai held up a finger and pointed at Morgana, “if it’s better havin’ something realistic, why do you got that slingshot!?” He pointed to Big Brother’s fake gun. “And it was just as strong as a goddamn gun! What about you whole cognitive whatever!?”

“W-Well, um…” Morgana fidgeted and glanced at me, probably hoping I could pitch in and help him somehow. I shrugged and smiled awkwardly, mouthing out “Sorry” to him. Because really, I was pretty curious about that too. He sighed and cast his gaze to the ground. “Fine, you can choose to understand it however you want.” Morgana looked back up and resumed his teacher-like stance. “Oh by the way, we should decide how we divvy up our roles in battle from here on out.”

“He totally dodged my question…” Ryuji-senpai muttered.

“It might just be better to go with it for now.” I whispered.

“Are you two listening?” Morgana asked, crossing his arms and tapping a tiny foot. Big Brother only smiled, holding back a laugh, as we scratched our heads with hasty apologizes. “As you can see, there are quite a lot of enemies. It’ll be important to coordinate our moves as well. I can keep providing intel for us,” he gestured to Big Brother, “but you should decide how we fight, Frizzy Hair.”

“Whaddya mean by ‘how we fight’?” Ryuji-senpai asked.

“We don’t even have Personas, so how would we be able to coordinate if we can’t fight?” I asked.

“Well, you never know what the future brings, right?” Morgana asked, a twinkle in his catty eyes. “You didn’t expect to find yourselves in a castle yesterday, but here you are. And if Frizzy Hair was able to get a Persona, why can’t you guys either? It wouldn’t be impossible.”

“How would we be able to get one?” I asked, perhaps maybe a little too eagerly because Big Brother patted my head and shook his own head.

“One thing at a time,” he said, “For right now, let’s focus on what we have right now. So how do you want me to do this, Morgana?”

Morgana looked between us and gave a tiny frown, but it quickly disappeared with a flick of his pointy ears.

“Basically, it’s about what we do in battle,” he said, “You can order us directly in battle, or let us decide what to do.” His ears flattened and his tail twitched. “Though I guess I’m the only other one fighting right now…”

“Well, like you said,” Ryuji-senpai began, a twinge of excitement in his face, “You never know what the future brings. Maybe we’ll get Personas too.” He nudged my side and I jumped a little. I was a bit ticklish in my ribs and he happened to get me just so. “You want one too, right Hikari-chan?”

“I,” I cut myself off, glancing at Big Brother. Even beneath that mask, his reluctance and displeasure was clear. He had already made it clear that he hadn’t wanted me wandering around here, even though it wasn’t like I was exploring alone and where he couldn’t see me. Even if I was out of his sight, at least there was either Ryuji-senpai or Morgana to partner up with. Still, if I was in his place and he in mine, how would I have felt?

If I had a Persona instead of Big Brother, I definitely would be throwing him behind me and lashing out at every enemy that came our way. That was the reason why I was here after all. I probably would have also encouraged him to leave like he had with me. But again, knowing Big Brother, he would have come anyway.

“Guys, we have to go.” Morgana warned as he dashed off.

“Yeah, right.” I said, silently grateful for the interruption. A part of me had the feeling that Big Brother and I were going to have a talk about this later, just like he had yesterday about Kojima. Only this time, there might not be any easy escape or explanation. I wanted a Persona and I wanted to fight. Obviously, Big Brother didn’t want me to have or do either. Our conflict of interest was going to be a sore spot later on. But right now, we have other things we need to take care of.

For example, Ryuji-senpai running a little too far ahead in his eagerness to find the source of the screams. In his rush, he had almost run headlong into another Shadow knight.

“Hikari, get behind Morgana,” Big Brother ordered before he slashed his knife across the knight’s armor. In the real world, a slash across instead of a jab through a gap in the armor wouldn’t have done any good. However, in this cognitive world, a slash was just enough to where the armor fell apart and the enemy within the shell appeared. This time, three pink plant monsters appeared and lashed out at Ryuji-senpai when he got too close.

“Whoa!” he cried as one monster snapped an arm back and whipped it with a crack. Big Brother managed to pull him back before it was able to hurt him, but Ryuji-senpai’s blazer was another story. From where the monster made contact with its arm, the article of clothing was shredded at the bottom.

Due to momentum, Ryuji-senpai stumbled backwards and he was unable to right himself as one of the other monsters darted closer to him. I ran out from Morgana and caught Ryuji-senpai just as he almost hit the ground.

“Miss!” Morgana cried from behind, another monster encroaching upon him. He tried to shake it off, but the monster forced him to stay back and fight.

A searing flash of pain scorched my side and I screamed, though I didn’t release Ryuji-senpai. The monster that had snuck away from Big Brother changed targets and delivered a blow towards me instead. I staggered and tried to backpedal away from the chaos, but the monster pulled back and raised its arm to strike again. I summoned whatever remained of my strength and threw Ryuji-senpai behind me, tripping in the process. I had little time to even think of composing myself before a gust of wind assaulted the monster and a dagger pierced its chest from behind.

With a final scream and falling back to the darkness, the Shadow was vanquished.

“Come here, come here,” Big Brother whispered and held out his arms to me.

“Dammit,” Ryuji-senpai cursed as he rushed up beside us. “Hey, you okay? Hikari-chan?”

“Come here,” Big Brother coaxed again.

I tried to gulp back a sob, although a whimper managed to escape. My brother still held his arms out to me, but I didn’t allow myself to fall into his embrace, comforting though it might have been. I couldn’t show any weakness. I had to prove that I could stand by myself without Big Brother having to worry about me.

After all, my father and Kojima were right. I was too dependent on Big Brother and I didn’t know who I was outside of being his little sister. On one hand, it wasn’t healthy and I knew it. On the other, imaging a world without Big Brother by my side was terrifying. It would have been too lonely and cold if he wasn’t a part of the picture.

“I…I’m fine,” I wheezed out even as I finally fell into warm, safe arms.

“Like hell you are,” Big Brother whispered, gently guiding me to sit down against a stone wall, “Morgana. Ryuji. Medicine.”

“G-Got it!” Ryuji-senpai said as he rummaged through my bag.

“Normally I would never rummage through a lady’s bag,” Morgana said, assisting Ryuji, “but this isn’t one of those times.”

Big Brother tore off his long coat and pressed it against my wound. A dull thud sounded out and my King Arthur book fell onto the ground. It opened up to the page featuring a picture where Mordred and Arthur fell in their final battle after Morgan le Fay’s meddling plans on revenge climaxed to their doom. There must have been an inside pocket big enough to hold it and not let it get in Big Brother’s way as he fought. At least if anything happened to me then he was going to have that piece of me with him.

“Got it!” Ryuji-senpai cheered. Morgana snatched it from his hands and he opened the bottle with a pop. A soft blue light emerged and enveloped the bottle before floating over to me. 

For some reason, as the light covered my vision, a sweet smell of vanilla beans and birthday cake enveloped my senses. It reminded me a lot of my grandma and grandpa’s house. Their home was the only place Big Brother and I could run to and be ourselves. Whenever we “ran away” to them, Grandma always had a plate of chocolate chip cookies ready and Grandpa had a new magic trick ready to show us and to teach Big Brother, who ate those lessons up almost as fast as we ate those cookies.

In an instant, the pain in my side was gone and it became easier to focus in on the guys’ worried expressions, although Ryuji’s had more of a trace of guilt.

“Hikari, talk to me. Are you okay?” Big Brother asked me, for what felt like the millionth time since we arrived in the city. He tugged off his right glove and pressed it against my forehead, but I pushed it backwards as gently as I could.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I said, reaching out to grab my book. I tucked it back into Big Brother’s inner jacket pocket, grimaced at the blood stain on the fabric, and handed it back to him. “You might need this back.”

“Hikari-chan,” Ryuji-senpai said, bowing his head, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run out like that.”

I was about to tell him not to worry about it, but Morgana bristled and drowned me out.

“Both of you should be sorry!” he cried, “Ryuji, you should have stayed behind us and out of the battle! You could have been killed! And Hikari, you shouldn’t have run out like that either. AND you should have kept backing away instead just throwing Ryuji back like that.”

“I’m sor–” I began.

“Enough.” Big Brother said. We all stopped talking as he finished donning his jacket and replacing his glove. “We have to keep going. But new rule: Ryuji and Hikari stay behind us. No more running out in front. And no more acting as human shields. Alright?”

Ryuji-senpai and I nodded, though I couldn’t help it when tears pricked my eyes. I had never seen Big Brother this mad before. Back when I had told those guys off at school, Big Brother had been annoyed, but there was at least a trace of humor to be recovered afterwards. In this situation, Ryuji-senpai and I had made risky choices in a life-and-death moment. It may have been my intention to save Ryuji-senpai, but I had disobeyed Big Brother’s orders to stay behind Morgana and wound up costing us medicine that could have been used to save Big Brother in his time of need.

I didn’t regret trying to help, but I did regret not being strong enough to do better and be someone that my brother could rely on.

“How’s your side?” Big Brother asked.

“It’s fine.” I said.

He held out a hand and I took it, allowing him to pull me up. We were off again, but this time, Ryuji-senpai and I made it a point to stay behind Big Brother and Morgana. Soon enough, we rounded a corner to find another Shadow guarding a door at the end of the hallway. We ducked behind the corner like we had last time and Morgana hissed.

“A guard…” he whispered, “I’m pretty sure that’s where we need to be going too…”

“You guys gonna take it down again?” Ryuji-senpai asked with a little smile, probably trying to ease the tension.

Either Morgana or Big Brother hadn’t noticed or decided not to respond because their raised shoulders hadn’t eased down nor did their frowns soften.

“I guess that’s our only choice…” Morgana said with reluctance. Then he blinked and his ears twitched. “But wait, this might be a good time…” He nodded. “OK, I’ve decided! I’m going to teach you three a special way to fight enemies!”

“Is it a new technique?” Big Brother asked.

“Something like that!” Morgana said. “Let’s go!”

Of course, even as he cheered that, Ryuji-senpai and I stayed put. No way were we going to risk our group’s safety with another incident. For now, it’ll have to be enough to observe the lesson. Although, looking at the way Big Brother and Morgana were able to pull off that new group rush move, an “All-out Attack” as Morgana put it, and finish off the monster, I wanted more than anything to be a part of that.

“Mm, that went really well! You’re definitely fit for this!” Morgana cheered in the aftermath of their battle.

I looked at Big Brother and how confidently he held himself even after everything that happened. He really was fit for this. Finally, he was acting in a way that reflected the side of himself that he hid away from the rest of the world. Hopefully soon I would be able to do the same. I’ll have to ask Morgana later on how. That is if I could sneak in the question without Big Brother knowing.

Now that the Shadow was out of the way, the four of us were able to open the threshold and we entered a room with gaudy dark pink light. The sight was sore on the eyes and we had to rub our eyes a few times before exploring again.

“All right, this is it!” Morgana said.

Ryuji-senpai squinted as he zoned in on the banner across the top of the double doors in front of us.

“Kamoshida’s… Training Hall…of Love…?” he shook his head. “What kinda shit is this!?”

We didn’t have any other choice but to keep pressing forward. Big Brother pressed the doors opened and we followed after. As soon as we all stepped past them, a loud cry of pain echoed down the stony hallway and we jumped. It was the same one as we heard earlier, only this time it was a lot closer.

“This voice…” Ryuji-senpai said, his voice trembling, “Where’s it comin’ from…?”

We traveled down the stairs and across a small wooden bridge before the voice called out again and we stopped. Ryuji-senpai turned in the direction of the voice and his agitation increased.

“Oh, is it comin’ from over there!?” he asked, already heading down in that direction. Before he could get too far ahead, Big Brother and Morgana quickly dashed out in front of him. On my part, I trailed close behind and tried to brace myself for the worst.

But what we saw was heartbreaking. Inside a pit and behind bars, a group of guys in red sports clothing were pushed around and bullied into playing volleyball without any regards to their haggard and beaten conditions. Even when one of them slipped and fell, a Shadow would prod them with their spears until they got back up.

Ryuji-senpai wrung the bars and stomped a foot as he cursed and fury blazed across his face. Big Brother was able to bite back whatever he wanted to say, but he seemed ready to jump through the lone hole in the bars and end the Shadows. However, there were too many of them and Big Brother and Morgana were tired from their earlier battles. Then there was the matter of leaving Ryuji-senpai and I behind.

“How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down!?” Morgana hissed, perched on top of a stack of boxes.

“But this is beyond messed up!” Ryuji-senpai shouted, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his hair and scanned the bars this way and that. “How do I open this…?”

“Stop it…!” A weak male voice pleaded. One of the more bandaged players, the “slaves” I guessed, limped over to us and beseeched us with watery eyes. “Leave us alone… It’s useless…”

“Huh!?” Ryuji-senpai asked.

“Please,” I asked, stepping up to the bars, “We can get you out. Just let us help. Please.”

It wasn’t like I had a plan, but anything was bound to be better than leaving these people up to whatever fate was in store for them here.

“If we stay obedient,” another player said as he dragged himself closer, “we won’t be executed like you guys!”

Ryuji-senpai grabbed the bars and shook them, though the metal didn’t budge in spite of his wrath at this inhumane scene.

“You’re tellin’ me you wanna stay in a place like this!?” he cried.

“Wait a minute…” Morgana cut in. “Were you planning on taking these guys out of here?”

“We can’t just leave ‘em here!” Ryuji-senpai argued, whirling on our guide.

“How stupid can you be…?” Morgana sighed and shook his head.

“What!?”

“But Ryuji-senpai’s right. I mean, why would we?” I asked him. I waved an arm towards the prisoners. “No one should be subjected to this…this torture! It’s just not right! In any sense!”

“Isn’t it possible, Morgana?” Big Brother asked, a mix of urgency and pleading in his voice.

“Can’t we use the secret entrance? Or at least hold them in the safe room until the coast was clear?” I asked.

“Hold on.” Morgana ordered, holding up a paw. “I get it. Your hearts are in the right place. But trust me, there’s no point in saving these guys. It would be useless.” He flicked his ears and waved his paw at us to come closer. Reluctantly, we turned away from the players and gathered around Morgana. “These are only humans in Kamoshida’s cognition. They aren’t real humans that have entered from reality. They’re different from you three.”

“Cognition…?” Ryuji-senpai asked, scratching his head.

“Like I said, it means there’s no point in saving them!” Morgana fumed. “They’re different from the real ones in the real world. You could say that these are extremely similar-looking dolls.”

“The hell!?” Ryuji-senpai said. “Why’s it gotta be so complicated!?” he crossed his arms. “So the school’s a castle, and the students are slaves…” A snort. “It’s so on point that it makes me laugh.”

I glanced at Ryuji-senpai, who looked through the bars with me. He didn’t say anything else, but the disgust on his face spoke for him. Takamaki-senpai’s forlorn face and Kamoshida-sensei’s too friendly smile returned to me and I tried to remember how to steady my breathing. But I was probably just imagining things.

Was I?

Kamoshida-sensei was our teacher. There were boundaries that even he had to uphold not matter how twisted his reality was. He wouldn’t, couldn’t, SHOULDN’T do something like this.

But according to Ryuji-senpai’s behavior and the warning he had given me the other day, something was going on. Considering all that had happened, if I had to choose to trust a teacher I really didn’t know and already gave me the creeps even before we entered this castle or a student who had a history with said teacher and had risked his life to save me and my brother, I was putting all my money on Ryuji-senpai. He had a foul mouth and a temper, but at least I could trust that his heart was true.

Morgana hopped down and stepped closer to the bars, his ears and tail drooping.

“Still, this is horrible,” he muttered. “It must mean he treats them as slaves in the real world too.”

“In the real world too…?” Ryuji-senpai asked. Each word came out heavy and an ominous feeling came over me.

“You don’t think he might be hurting them in reality too, right?” I asked, begging for some kind of relief from this wrong. However, with how Kojima had looked and acted back in class and ran off, that possibility was looking bleak.

Nobody answered me. Big Brother, knowing almost as much as I did, couldn’t give me a definitive response. Morgana, who only saw Kamoshida-sensei’s cognition and not the real deal, couldn’t either. Ryuji-senpai was the guy who knew Kamoshida-sensei the best and his reaction wasn’t reassuring in the slightest.

“Wait,” Ryuji-senpai peered in closer. “I know these guys…” He choked out a gasp. “They’re members of the volleyball team – the one Kamoshida coaches for!”

An image of Kojima popped into my head and I tried to look further into the prison. From what she had told me, she was also on the volleyball team. If Kamoshida-sensei saw all the volleyball players as slaves, then there should be a copy of her here too. However, there were only boys as far as I could see.

“Why are there only guys here?” I asked. “Where are the girls?”

“It might be possible that Kamoshida only sees the guys on the team like this,” Morgana explained and wrinkled his nose. “If that’s true, then I don’t think I want to know how he sees girls.”

I had to hold back the urge to shudder at his words and possible implications.

“They must be physically abused every day…” Morgana added slowly, “There’s no way they’d be so beat up normally.”

“Don’t tell me…” Ryuji-senpai growled and ground his teeth. “They’re going through similar shit in reality!?”

“Most likely. I mean, this proves that Kamoshida thinks of them as slaves.”

“So it might be for real…” Ryuji-senpai took in a deep, shaky breath. “I heard that Kamoshida’s usin’ physical punishment. They’re just rumors, but…”

“Actually,” I said. “I know a girl in my class who’s on the volleyball team.”

“Was it Kojima?” Big Brother asked. Of course he would remember our conversation, clever mind that he had. But I couldn’t focus on my hero worship right now. Not a good time.

“Yeah,” I answered and squeezed the bars, “she...didn’t look too good today. She had a bruise on her head and I think something’s wrong with her arm. She wouldn’t tell me what happened but…”

“You think Kamoshida had something to do with it.” Big Brother finished. I could only nod, not wanting to go further.

I didn’t want to believe that a teacher would cause harm to the students he was supposed to protect and guide towards a bright future. He wasn’t supposed to be a callous monster or a tyrant. But this “reality” in front of me was forcing me to think otherwise.

Kojima and I didn’t get along. We would probably never get along. But no one deserved this horrible treatment. If Big Brother had been caught in this vicious cycle, the whole school would have had to hold me back from thrashing Kamoshida-sensei into oblivion.

“So, in that case, if the rumors were true, wouldn’t this be somethin’ to report to the police…?” Ryuji-senpai asked. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I’ll use these guys as evidence. If it all goes well, we can take down Kamoshida…!” He held up his device as if to take a picture, but he stopped short. “It’s not workin’!? We can use the navigation app, but the camera’s a no go!?”

“A navigation app?” Morgana asked.

“That’s what we used to come here,” Ryuji-senpai explained, bringing his phone back down. He looked at us. “What about yours?”

Big Brother and I took our phones out and attempted to open the camera app like Ryuji-senpai had attempted. However, no matter how many times we pressed the app, nothing happened. We both shook our heads and tucked our phones away. Ryuji-senpai did the same with a curse under his breath.

Morgana hopped up and down frantically.

“Whatever you do is fine, but we’re gonna get caught if we stand around like this. We need to head back!” he urged.

“Hang on a sec!” Ryuji-senpai said, spinning back towards the prison bars. “There’s no other way… I’ll just memorize their faces before goin’ home!”

So Ryuji-senpai was gifted with facial memorization skills. Not a bad thing to have. At his insistence, and Morgana’s clear annoyance, we scoured the rest of the prison cells so Ryuji-senpai could get a good look at them. With each one we approached, things just seemed to be getting worse and worse.

Volleyballs used as weapons. Working the players towards dehydration and not allowing them any breaks. No matter how much they begged for the treatment to stop, all their words fell on ears and hearts of stone. Their leader refused them even a shred of kindness and the Shadows were more than happy to comply with their orders.

The worst part of it all was that none of the players had any desire or hope of escape. Even with our coaxing and promises of freedom, we were given hollow stares in return. I know that Morgana had said that it was pointless to save them…but still…

“C’mon! We’re cutting it close here!” Morgana hissed.

Since Ryuji-senpai had memorized as many faces as he was going to get, we followed Morgana out of the dungeon without a Shadow to hinder us. They were probably too busy with their prisoners to bother us. That thought both relieved and revolted me.

“All right, we’re back.” Ryuji-senpai said after we left the training hall. “We gotta get outta here, quick!”

“The watch post near the training hall has ceased reporting!” A soldier’s voice shouted. “Chances of intruder activity are extremely high! All personnel, increase security measures!”

At once, a soldier shot down the hallway and blocked the bridge we had used to cross earlier. Big Brother pushed us all towards a corner and we crouched down. Morgana clicked his tongue.

“We’ve stayed here too long…” he whispered. “Come on, let’s get out of here!”

We ran in the opposite direction, though we tried to hug the walls as much as we could so we couldn’t be spotted. It helped that we all had a good deal of black on right now, but I couldn’t help but pray to the heavens that a Shadow wouldn’t jump out at us because it spotted Ryuji-senpai’s bleached hair.

Fortunately, Morgana knew the ins and outs of the castle to where we were able to reach the final exit of the dungeon before any Shadows pounced.

“The exit’s this way! Let’s hurry!” he urged, waving a paw.

We followed and for a brief moment, it felt like we had gotten away with another whirlwind adventure and we were going to set in motion a plan to free the slaves. I was even contemplating on how to talk to Kojima about what was really happening during volleyball practice. It was highly unlikely that she would open up, especially considering our history, but it was better than trying nothing at all.

But that moment was shattered when the tyrant himself blocked our path with an arsenal of Shadow knights behind and beside him.

“…You knaves again?” Kamoshida-sensei snarled. “To think you’d make the same mistake again. You’re hopeless!”

“The school ain’t your castle!” Ryuji-senpai, my brave and foolhardy senpai, declared in front of the platoon of soldiers. “I’ve memorized their faces real good. You’re goin’ down!”

“It seems it’s true when they say ‘barking dogs seldom bite’.” The tyrant said, not showing any concern whatsoever. “How far the star runner of the track team has fallen.”

“The hell are you getting’ at!?” Ryuji-senpai yelled, his bravado taking a plummet at those words.

“I speak of the ‘Track Traitor’ who acted in violence, ending his teammates’ dreams.” Kamoshida-sensei shook his head with mock sympathy. “Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your…selfish act.”

Ryuji-senpai winced and drew himself inward. The strength he had exuded earlier had faded rapidly under the other man’s cutting words.

“Violence?” Big Brother asked, looking at him.

“What a surprise.” The tyrant scoffed and smiled ironically. “So you’re accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever.”

“That’s not true!” Ryuji-senpai shut his eyes and slammed his hands across his ears. He shook his head, trying to free himself from the would-be king’s snare, but the wounds had already reopened. His heart was bleeding and we had no medicine for that even if we hadn’t used the one he had given us.

“Ryuji-senpai,” I said, stepping towards him and moving to pat his back like Big Brother sometimes did for me whenever I was in a similar state of mind, but I hesitated. We were on good terms, but we weren’t close enough to where Ryuji-senpai might trust me with a comforting and familiar touch. If he was Big Brother, that would have been one matter. But it was not so.

“You’ve come along with this fool and are now going to end up dead,” he chuckled. “How unlucky of you. Then again, this might actually be pretty lucky for me.” He turned towards his guards. “Go. Kill those three and get me the girl. Don’t sully my castle with garbage.”

“No!” Big Brother yelled and yanked me behind him as the Shadows charged at us. The soldiers did away with their armored costumes and revealed massive black goat-like creatures with shaggy grey manes, green horns, and glowing red eyes.

“Goddammit…” Ryuji-senpai whispered, eyes open and staring at the monsters in our path. He stood frozen and locked gazes with one of the goats. It pawed a hoof into the carpeted ground as if it were going to charge again.

“Ryuji, move!” Morgana ordered. He withdrew his blade and sidestepped around him and towards battle.

Big Brother scanned the room at a frantic pace and withdrew his dagger, cutting away at the goats and stray soldiers who attempted to steal me away or otherwise harm him. Back at the safe room, he had been able to catch his breath, but he was still less experienced than Morgana in terms of technique and endurance. Even with his heightened abilities, Big Brother couldn’t keep up.

Eventually, the goat monsters had us surrounded on all sides. Ryuji-senpai and I stood between Morgana and Big Brother, the only viable safe area we had. Their breathing was getting heavy and sweat dripped down Big Brother’s chin. The dagger in his hand trembled and Morgana wasn’t doing much better.

“I’ll kill you!” The largest monster cried, lifting his hooves into the air before slamming them down. “I’ll kill you ‘cause King Kamoshida told us! I’ll kill ‘cause that’s what he wants!”

They lunged into them and Ryuji-senpai and I had no choice but to shuffle between staying out of the way and blocking whatever blows we could stand. Whenever we strayed too far away, Morgana tried to corral us back while Big Brother dealt the heavier blows with Arsene’s help. Or, at least he attempted to. None of the monsters gave any openings he could have used to make damage and they were larger in size and number than what he had encountered before.

“We’re breaking through!” he yelled. “Stay close!”

“Right!” Morgana answered. “Ryuji! Follow me!”

Big Brother grabbed my hand and Morgana summoned Zorro and called upon a wind incantation.

“I don’t think so!” Kamoshida-sensei shouted above the noise.

Another goat monster charged out from nowhere and rammed into Zorro before the wind was unleashed. It kept going and sent all four of us flying and crashing into the ground. As a result, in spite of our best efforts, Big Brother and I lost our grips on each other and we landed on opposite sides of the floor.

“Lucky for me,” the tyrant crooned and grabbed my wrist, pulling me up to the ground and close to his side. “Unlucky for you. Just as I said it would be.”

If I had thought the real Kamoshida-sensei made my skin crawl, this cognitive version made me want to gag. I didn’t have to look at him to feel his slimy gaze and the putrid darkness emitting from his pores. I struggled to release myself, but his grip was harder than stone and as cold as ice. Much like his heart.

“Let her go!” Big Brother ordered as he staggered to his feet. A goat monster responded by planting a hoof onto his back and pinning him down. It applied pressure onto Big Brother’s back and he scrambled to escape. At this rate, this thing was going to crush him.

“Stop!” I clawed at the tyrant’s hands and twisted myself this way and that. I even tried kicking his shins but he threw me into the waiting arms of a Shadow who still had his armor on.

“That’ll be enough out of you. Don’t try my patience.” He warned, sending me a glare. “After I’m done with you, you can join them and enjoy your afterlife together!”

I searched for Morgana and Ryuji-senpai and my stomach dropped when I saw Morgana sprawled out and bruised on the floor much like Big Brother was. Ryuji-senpai was on his knees in shock out on the outskirts of the battle, having managed to somehow escape the worst of it in the midst of the chaos. Kamoshida-sensei approached Morgana and stomped a foot onto his tiny back. 

Our protectors were pinned down and beaten. And there was nothing we could do. However, Morgana, still raging in spite of his injuries, squirmed and growled at the man above him.

“You piece of –” he began and Kamoshida-sensei pressed down harder.

Big Brother, still willing to fight even though the odds told him not to, cut at the goat monster’s hoof. It cried out and recoiled, allowing him to roll out from underneath. With one curse from Arsene, the monster was gone. However, his moment of triumph was stolen as another soldier, this time in golden armor, smacked him with the flat of his sword and sent him back down again, Big Brother’s knife knocked out of his hands. When the Shadow kicked the knife away and pinned him down much like the goat monster had before, there was going to be no second stab. With how exhausted he was, I doubted that he would even be able to call Arsene again in that state.

“I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this. Isn’t that right?” Kamoshida-sensei asked. 

“No…” Ryuji-senpai shook his head.

“What a worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly…” he continued. “How dare you raise your hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?”

Ryuji-senpai curled over and pounded his fists into the red carpet.

“Wasn’t no practice – it was physical abuse!” he cried. “You just didn’t like our team!”

“It was nothing but an eyesore!” Kamoshida-sensei countered. “The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach who got fired was hopeless too… Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would have settled it with only breaking his star’s leg.”

“…What?” Ryuji-senpai gasped.

“Do you need me to deal with your other leg too?” the false king went on, “The school will just call it self-defense anyway!”

“Dammit…!” Ryuji-senpai hissed, every word growing louder as he continued. “Am I gonna lose again…? Not only can I not run anymore…the track team is gone too ‘cause of you…!”

“So that’s why…” Morgana said, staring at him.

The reason why Ryuji-senpai was forced to carry a limp in his step. The reason why he was shunned by the school as a delinquent. The reason why he was careful to tell us to watch our backs. It was all because of Kamoshida-sensei and his cruel, selfish, and petty act. In an attempt to secure his crown, this usurper cut down the true king of Shujin Academy and any who had supported him.

Morgana let out a yowl of pain as the crown thief ground his foot into his back.

“Once these two are dealt with, you’re next,” he declared, “And don’t worry. I’ll take real good care of this one here.” He gestured towards me and he released a maniacal laugh.  
I squirmed in the Shadow’s metal grasp, but it had both of my hands locked behind me and even if I had a Persona, I wouldn’t have been able to summon it anyways. A sound of metal sliding against metal caught my attention and I screamed. The Shadow holding Big Brother down held a sword against his neck, ready to execute him.

And still, Kamoshida-sensei laughed.

“Ryuji!” Morgana cried.

“Stand up for yourself!” Big Brother spat out, maneuvering so that the edge of the blade stayed away from his neck.

“Don’t let him rule over you!” I yelled, trying to channel the image of a knight I so longed to be and praying that some how Ryuji-senpai would be able to see it. After all, in the grand scheme of it, even if Ryuji-senpai couldn't be king again, he was the truest knight I had ever met.

Brave. Strong. Loyal to a fault. Willing to risk his life for a couple of strangers. Even if he didn’t always get it right, he still charged forward and faced what was waiting for him. So what if this had been a whim? At least he had given my brother a chance to prove himself as the noble person that I knew he was no matter what the rumors had said about him. At least he hadn’t looked down on me that time he caught me crying.

“…You’re right.” Ryuji-senpai answered at last. “Everything that was important to me was taken by him… I’ll never get ‘em back…!”

“Stay there and watch.” Kamoshida-sensei ordered, still all too assured of his victory. “Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you.”  


Slowly, Ryuji-senpai staggered to his feet, a hard expression on his face.

“No…” To my surprise, Ryuji-senpai's voice sharpened. I had only ever heard this type of tone from Kojima back when she had confronted me back at school. His head snapped up, glaring menacingly, as if the Shadows disappeared and weren’t even in the room. “That’s what you are…” His voice was identical to two knives cutting against each other and sparks flew with each cut. But with each swing, the power behind it escalated dangerously. “You're the real scumbag Kamoshida!”

Ryuji-senpai walked towards Kamoshida-sensei and the tyrant’s smirk dropped the closer he got. The older man actually stepped backwards and cast nervous looks at his subordinates.

“What are you doing? Silence him!” he ordered.

Finally, Ryuji-senpai thrust a finger at the would-be king and bared his teeth. “Stop lookin’ down on me with that stupid smile on your face!”

A flash of bright, golden light poured out from Ryuji-senpai and the sound of broken glass rang out. His eyes, previously dark brown, switched to gold just like Big Brother’s had when he first transformed and called upon Arsene. He gasped, short of breath, and fell to his knees as he clutched his head.

Why was he in pain? Did the Palace have an effect on him? Was this Kamoshida-sensei's doing by an unseen Shadow?

“AAAAAAAAA-" A cry bellowed from his throat and my heart twisted for him. His body thrashed around on the Palace carpet, drool leaking from his mouth. Tears were streaming down his torn face. “AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Ryuji-senpai was suffering, that much was clear. But even in the middle of his throes of pain, there was something familiar about this scenario.

With another beast-like cry, my mind sorted the mystery out for me. That writhing, screaming, and the golden eyes...it was exactly like when it had happened to Big Brother, though he had been supported at the time by Shadows unlike Ryuji-senpai.

A surge of feelings swished in my stomach. Hope? Empathy? Delight? Fear? Was he going to awaken a Persona? Was I going to be left behind?

Suddenly, Ryuji-senpai’s screaming stopped, replaced with mangled grunts. Whipping his head upwards, a black skull had materialized on his face. Never taking his eyes off the king, he gripped the edges of his mask.

“Hmph.” The Shadow guard holding my brother down scoffed. “What can you do…?” He raised his sword. “Cower in fear and watch!”

“No!” I cried.

Then he roared, a declaration of his will, tearing off his mask. A large blue wave crashed and swirled around him. Surprisingly, in spite of the brightness and intensity, instead of the heat I had expected to come from such a feat, it felt like cool droplets of water were splashing my face.

The force of the cool light pulsing from Ryuji-senpai’s position sent all the guards and the would-be king sailing and smashing into walls. Thanks to that, I was able to free myself from my jailer’s bonds and I dropped into an army crawl and moved towards where I assumed Big Brother and Morgana were. It was kind of hard to tell with this blinding light, but I didn’t have to wait long to find out that I had been on the right track.

The light dispersed and revealed Ryuji-senpai in a black outfit, styled after the rouge pirate spirit hovering above him. With a pirate ship and all, I imagined that he had sailed through the current of light straight towards his summoner, cannon ablaze. Ryuji-senpai lifted his head and he was grinning the widest I had ever seen him.

“Ugh… This one as well?” Kamoshida-sensei grunted, having gathered his bearings somewhat.

“Right on…” Ryuji-senpai laughed. “Wassup, Persona… This effin’ rocks!”

Morgana shook himself and sprang to his feet as I helped Big Brother stand back up. He patted my head and I patted his back. We were okay. We were definitely going to be okay this time. Because now, we had another warrior on our side.

“Now that I got this power, it’s time for payback…” Ryuji-senpai cracked his knuckles. “Yo, I’m ready… Bring it!”

On that cue, I withdrew the last couple bottles of medicine and directed them towards Big Brother and Morgana. Then I stepped to the side and gave them room for the finale.  
“Don’t mock me, you brat!” A golden soldier growled and lifted its sword. It struck the ground and its disguise gave way to a more intimidating, red solider with large horns and nightmarish black steed.

However, even in the face of the enlarged enemy, Ryuji-senpai grinned wider.

“Blast him away…Captain Kidd!”


	15. The Gap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji Sakamoto has awoken his Persona, Captain Kidd. Now it's time to show the would-be king what was in store for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm really sorry for not updating MUCH sooner. I don't have any proper excuse for that, especially without saying anything about a hiatus. Thank you so much for all of you who have been patient with me and have stuck through until I finally got back to working on this. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with the Persona franchise. I only own my OCs.

            “What troublemakers that bother King Kamoshida with trifle matters!” The enormous red knight’s horse reared back on its hind legs and the challenger lifted his lance high. The act was enough to make Big Brother and his comrades look like toddlers challenging a giant. But the warriors didn’t shrink back. Not even a flinch.

            “Kamoshida’s cognition ain’t changin’, right?” Ryuji-senpai said, Captain Kidd flowing on the ghostly tide behind him, “Then I’ll act like the troublemaker I am!” He crossed his arms in front of himself and then pointed at the enemy. “Let’s do this, Captain Kidd!”

            The red knight raised his spear again and out from the shadows, two more ghoulish goat-like monsters appeared. Both of them pawed the ground and lowered their heads, preparing to charge at the rebels.

            Prior to this battle, it was only an exhausted Morgana and Big Brother who stood between victory and death. But now, Ryuji-senpai, the fallen true king, and arisen and took up the mantle as a pirate knight. With a loud cry and a flick of his wrist, Ryuji-senpai commanded Captain Kidd to release an arc of lightning at the large red knight. Though lightning bowed to no one, at this moment, my senpai was its master.

            The lightning struck and the red knight bellowed out as he toppled from his steed. The two goat monsters paused and turned towards their summoner.

            “Get them! Get them you fools!” The knight ordered, struggling to get back to his feet. His cumbersome armor wasn’t exactly helping him in the matter. On top of that, it wasn’t as if the goats had any hands. “For King Kamoshida!”

            But while the goats had been distracted, Big Brother and Morgana had already made their move.

            “Arsene!” Big Brother cried. The winged demon billowed from behind him and cast a dark attack towards the goat on the left while Big Brother used his dagger in sync with Arsene’s blows. With their combined strength and renewed energy, the two of them quickly disposed of the enemy.

            With the goat on the right, Ryuji-senpai called another arc of lightning and the goat immediately flew to the other side of the room. The reaction was much more pronounced than the other attacks that the others had hailed on it. Was lightning its weakness? That will be useful the next time we come in contact with them.

            Cutting through my thoughts, Ryuji-senpai charged forward and finished it off with a swing of a steel pipe that had materialized into his hand much like a dagger had appeared to Big Brother. With a final cry, the goat monster melted back to the darkness.

            “No!” The red knight roared as he leapt back onto his horse. “This isn’t possible!” Morgana attacked with quick, consecutive attacks with his slingshot around the horse’s eyes. The horse, now blinded, staggered back. Even when the guard urged his beast onward, the horse couldn’t exactly ignore the pain. Ryuji-senpai and Big Brother surged forward and struck the monster with their Personas. Immediately, it cried out and curled in on itself as the horse struggled to stay upright.

            “I am…,” the knight said slowly, “a loyal subject…of the glorious King Kamoshida…” He paused and then growled, tightening his grip on his spear. “So why…have I lost!?”

            Ryuji-senpai scoffed and swung his steel pipe across the back of his shoulders. “It just proves that Kamoshida ain’t anything special.”

            With one last roar, the knight vanished and returned to its original state as one of Kamoshida-sen, no, just Kamoshida’s knights.

            Though I might address him as “sensei” to his face, I will never acknowledge him as a true teacher. Not after what he had done to Ryuji-senpai and the other students.

            If he had hurt Takamaki-senpai…if he was responsible for hurting Kojima…

            Ryuji-senpai doubled over and gulped in several deep breathes. I ran out from behind the column where I had tried to stay out of the way and I grabbed his right arm before he fell to the ground.

           “You did great Senpai!” I cheered.

           He wheezed out a laugh and threw me a smile. Then he turned towards the quivering usurper and straightened himself up. I released him as he rolled his shoulders.

          “…How ‘bout that!?” Ryuji-senpai cheered.

          I bit back a smile and scanned the others. Morgana’s tail was still and his ears were flattened against his head. Even though the fight was other, the feline hadn’t relaxed his stance. It was probably a wise move. Who knew whether or not Kamoshida had more tricks for us? However, that didn’t stop him from gazing up at Ryuji-senpai in shock.

         “Whoa…” Morgana said, “So Ryuji had the potential too…”

         Likewise, Big Brother hadn’t released his battle stance either, but the rush of adrenaline was already starting to fade away. His shoulders slumped and his back was taunt. But he didn’t loosen his death grip on his dagger. He looked back at me and motioned for me to step back with a wave of his hand.

         He was still geared to fight. And, as per usual, I had nothing to alleviate his stress and pain. Nothing except to obey his wish.

         Geez… How long am I going to remain useless? Sure, I can toss the occasional medicine here and there and maybe make an occasional smart observation or two. But otherwise…

         “Even if you apologize now,” Ryuji-senpai said, “I ain’t forgivin’ you…!”

         Kamoshida’s quivering stilled and a smile slithered onto his face. It was as if the battle had never happened. As if there wasn’t a new rebel prepared to take down his rule and castle.

         “I told you that this is my castle,” he drawled, “It seems you still don’t understand…” He turned his head to his right and a series of light tapping clipped through the air. The four of us mimicked him and I nearly fainted both at the sheer absurdity, disgust, and embarrassment of the situation.

        “Wh –” Ryuji-senpai gasped, “Takamaki!?”

        Takamaki-senpai, the beautiful, almost otherworldly, fairytale princess, had walked into the room in a red violet swimsuit that was most certainly not appropriate for the situation, the surroundings, and most certainly not something she should be wearing in front of a teacher. To add another twist to my stomach, instead of an ethereal diamond tiara gracing her ash gold locks, a cheap set of cat ears with a plastic tiara was planted on her head instead.

        She wasn’t dressed like a princess. Certainly not like the princess I had seen on that rainy day.

        Morgana, though ready for another round earlier, suddenly seemed a little too distracted. He blushed and purred as the tip of his tail swished to and fro.

        “Wha…” he muttered, “What a meow-velous and beautiful girl…!”

        “I thought you were a gentleman!” I shouted at him. He immediately cowered and lowered his ears.

        “Y-You’re right,” he said, “I apologize for my…untowardness. So unbecoming of me.”

        I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stay mad at that little guy. Still, this wasn’t the right time and place for…many things.

        While we were arguing, “Takamaki-senpai” was snuggling up next to Kamoshida as if he was the single best king in the world. As if he weren’t some kind of monster.

        “What’s going on…!?” Ryuji-senpai gasped.

        “Something seems off,” Big Brother said.

        “Yeah, now that you mention it…” Ryuji-senpai nodded, “But why is she even here!?”

        I peered closer at her and the more I did, the more I had to agree with the two. Then it dawned on me. Enough to make my stomach roll.

        “Guys,” I began, “If I remember Morgana’s lessons right, I don’t think this is Takamaki-senpai.” I peered straight into the girl’s eyes. Though they held a certain mirth to them, they were empty. Just like her smile.

        I recalled how the Takamaki-senpai I witnessed in the hallways kept her distance from the real Kamoshida and never met his eyes. How her figure seemed to curl inwards in an effort to avoid his advances. I bet that he had tried to touch her, she would have run.

        That was definitely not the same Takamaki-senpai I’m seeing right now, gazing at him as if he was the epitome of goodliness. Not the same one who’s allowing Kamoshida to cradle her chin in the palm of his hand.

        “Hey! Let go of her, you perv!” Ryuji-senpai ordered.

        “How many times must I tell you until you understand?” Kamoshida said as if he were addressing a petulant child. “This is MY castle – a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me.”

        I certainly don’t. Besides, I already have a king. And he’s not a disgusting, slovenly pig like someone else I know.

        He swept his eyes over us, paused on me for a moment or two, and then sneered. “…That is, everyone besides slow-witted thieves like you.”

        “Takamaki!” Ryuji-senpai called out, “Say somethin’!”

        “Calm down Ryuji! Hikari’s right!” Morgana hissed. “It seems that girl isn’t the real one.”

        “Still…!” Ryuji-senpai argued, “This ain’t right!”

        “I know Ryuji,” Big Brother said, his tone more gentle than Morgana’s. “But there’s no point. We can’t do anything for this Takamaki.”

       “She’s the same as those slaves –” Morgana added, “a being made of Kamoshida’s cognition of her!”

       “This is how he sees the real Takamaki-senpai,” I shuddered, “She wouldn’t be here otherwise. Not like us.”

       Ryuji-senpai cursed and Big Brother took a step backwards. Even Morgana, who had purred at first sight of her, looked disgusted.

       “Are you jealous?” The pig jeered. “Well, I’m not surprised. Women aren’t drawn to problematic punks like you.”

       “Dammit…!” Ryuji-senpai tsked.

       Kamoshida wasn’t someone to be jealous of, I wanted to tell him. Though it would take an exceptional man to match Big Brother’s caliber, Ryuji-senpai could make any woman happy if they knew what a wonderful heart he had. If enough time passed and I got to know him, I might even one day call him a second brother. Of course, Big Brother would always be my number one.

       “Clean them up this instant! And seize the girl!” Kamoshida barked.

       Another large group of Shadows emerged from thin air between our group and Kamoshida. We leapt backwards a few steps and Morgana was the first to speak.

      “We’re outnumbered…” he said, “Let’s scram before we get surrounded!”

      “We’re not gonna do anything and just run!?” Ryuji-senpai growled.

      “We can’t die here,” Big Brother said, inching further between me and the guards. He turned towards me. “Hikari, do you have any more medicine?”

      I rummaged through my bag. Besides my Hua Mulan book, scattered notes, misplaced pens and pencils, and currently useless cellphone, I couldn’t find any.

      “We’re out,” I said with reluctance. If only I had a Persona that could heal. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about this kind of thing.

      “Then we have to go,” he ordered, grabbing my hand, “NOW.”

      “Thank god you’ve got a level head,” Morgana sighed in relief.

      “Ngh,” Ryuji-senpai grunted as the guards closed in on us, “Fine.” He took a step forward and peered through the gaps towards Kamoshida, though he didn’t dare go too much closer. “We’ll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us…!”

      Kamoshida only laughed and his smile became even more twisted. “I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you want, if you don’t care about your life!”

      “Ignore him,” Morgana said, “Let’s go!”

      His laugh echoed in the large hall as the four of us ran outside.

      When we felt like we had run away far enough, and no Shadows had chased after us, we stopped and gulped in precious oxygen. The adrenaline rush was starting to ebb away from our systems and exhaustion was greeting us like a long lost friend. Ryuji-senpai was double over on his knees, Big Brother had his hands on his hips and his head down, and Morgana was lying flat on the ground as I sat next to him.

      I don’t know about the others, but my legs were trembling, my arms were trembling, basically everything was trembling. But every time the image of that fake Takamaki-senpai invaded my head, my stomach rolled and an encroaching headache made me spin.

      This was way worse than I had thought. I had kept telling myself that Kamoshida knew his limits as a teacher. I kept trying to deny it and convince myself that although he was a creep, it wasn’t like he would actually do anything. It was his job to keep his students safe.

      But he broke Ryuji-senpai’s leg. He destroyed the track team, and Ryuji-senpai’s dreams, because he wanted to be the one to shine. He saw the volleyball team, at least the guys, as slaves. That, on top of Kojima’s injuries, can’t mean nothing. Also, if he saw Takamaki-senpai like…that, who knew who else was a victim of his disgusting thoughts?

      I have to talk to Kojima. Now that I know this, I can’t just do nothing. I have to talk to her. I’ll make her if I have to.

      “Anyways!” Ryuji-senpai declared after another deep breath and straightening himself up. “I don’t remember changin’ into this!” He waved his hands over his new clothes.

      Indeed, now he looked as much of a rebel as Big Brother did. Although, just like his Persona, Ryuji-senpai looked more the part of a pirate rather than a gentleman thief.

      “It looks good on you,” Big Brother said with a smile after he had caught his own breath.

      “Uhh…” Ryuji-senpai scratched his head. “Should I be happy about that?” He shrugged and grinned, in spite of his words. “…Then again, it ain’t as bad as yours.” He tapped my head. “Hey, Hikari-chan.”

      “Yeah?” I asked, ripping open a headache packet, swallowing the contents, and shoving the trash into my bag.

      Ryuji-senpai stood side-to-side with Big Brother.

      “Give us your honest opinion,” he struck a heroic pose, flexing his muscles and everything, “Which one do you think is better?” He waved one hand to Morgana. “Hey Morgana. You too.”

      “Is this really an appropriate time?” Morgana asked, flicking his ears.

      “C’mon,” Ryuji-senpai goaded, “Afraid to lose?”

      “Wha? Of, of course not! I’m much more charming than both of you combined!”

      With that, the feline pushed himself off the ground and stood between the two, crossing his tiny arms and giving me his most dashing smile. He paused though before he held out a paw to me.

      “May I help you up Miss?” he purred.

      “Hey!” Ryuji-senpai shouted, “Are you tryin’ to earn brownie points?”

      “It would be remiss to not help a lady to her feet,” Morgana countered, “What are you? A barbarian?”

      I laughed as I took Morgana’s paw and stood up. Though Morgana didn’t really much to help me stand, small as he was, he made me laugh, so I just went with it.

      “Big Brother,” I said.

      “Yeah?” my brother asked, “Are you hurt?” He stepped towards me and moved my bangs out of my face.

      But I shook my head and took his hand.

      “No,” I said, “I was giving my answer.”

     The three of them remained silent until I started laughing again and Big Brother ruffled my hair with a smile. Then Ryuji-senpai sputtered while Morgana sighed.

     “You’re, you’re playin’ favorites!” He said, “Redo!”

     “Face it Ryuji,” Morgana muttered as he pouted, “When a lady’s made up her mind, there’s no point.”

     From a distant, a rumbling from the castle broke through our cheer.

     “Did you find them!?” Someone, probably a Shadow, yelled.

     “Quiet!” Morgana whispered, crouching down and pressing a tiny paw in front of his mouth. We crouched down with him and held our breaths.

     “No,” another Shadow responded, “Search that way!”

     We waited for a few minutes until the noises subsided. Slowly, we crawled further away from the castle until we were near the entrance to the real world.

     “So what’s goin’ on?” Ryuji-senpai ventured, “I’m completely lost, man…!”

     “I told you before,” Morgana said, “When a Persona-user opposes a Palace’s ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens.” He gestured towards the outfits. “It’s to prevent you from being affected by distortions.”

     Ryuji-senpai slowly reached out and felt the steel grey mask that covered the upper half of his face.

     “Is this…a skull?” he gasped, more from what sounded like awe than disgust.

     “Your appearance reflects your inner self,” Morgana went on, “It’s the rebel that slumbers within.” He shrugged. “Not that you’ll get it.”

     “Nope…” Ryuji-senpai admitted with a bowed head and slumped shoulders.

     “Then stop asking questions and accept what you see for what it is.”

     If that cat wasn’t such a “gentleman”, I don’t know how much I’d really like this guy after talking like that to Ryuji-senpai. At least he’s trying to understand what’s going on.

     “Easy for you to say,” he muttered as he crossed his arms. Then his eyebrows shot up and he cursed.

     “I said to be quiet!” Morgana hissed.

     “We might’ve gotten away here,” Ryuji-senpai said, “but we’re still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school…”

     “That’s quite sharp of you,” the cat remarked, “For being an idiot.”

     Unconsciously, I squeezed Big Brother’s hand. That’s right. Even though technically we’re inside Kamoshida’s mind, he might be aware of what’s going on. If we made that much of a mess here, what’s the likelihood that Kamoshida’s going to do something about it when we got back?

    “What are we going to do?” I whispered. Big Brother didn’t say anything, but he squeezed my hand and rubbed the back of my knuckles with his thumb.

    “We’ll figure it out,” he said, “Don’t worry.”

    I looked up at him. Though he had tried to sound reassuring, this tightness on his face betrayed him. He was in just as much turmoil as Senpai and I were.

    “Relax,” Morgana purred, waving a paw, “The Kamoshida in reality can’t possibly know about what happens here. A Shadow is the true self that is suppressed – a side of one’s personality they don’t want to see.”

    We took a moment to absorb that. “A side of one’s personality they don’t want to see”? Is it possible that Kamoshida doesn’t actually like this aspect of himself? If it’s a side of himself that he’s suppressing, is he also suppressing himself when it comes to acting on his thoughts?

    It’s a thought I want to believe, but Ryuji-senpai’s limp told me otherwise. Not to mention their conversation from earlier and the way Kamoshida blabbered Big Brother’s record to Takamaki-senpai. Maybe suppressing didn’t mean that one was trying to stop themselves from doing something. Maybe it was more like putting a Band-Aid over an infected wound.

    “…So we’re okay?” Ryuji-senpai asked.

    “Did the Kamoshida in reality remember about the execution?” he asked.

    When Senpai didn’t say anything and Morgana smiled, I eased my grip on Big Brother’s hand and my brother’s shoulders relaxed.

    “There you have it,” the cat crowed.

    “All right!” Ryuji-senpai cheered, rolling his own shoulders, “Now that we know that, all we gotta do is –”

    “Wait,” Morgana cut in, “I guided you as promised. It’s your turn to cooperate with me.” The three of us stared at him and he cocked his head as if it had been obvious. “That’s why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything.” I scowled and Morgana immediately lost his bravado and waved his paws at me. “I, I didn’t mean you, Hikari! You’re not an idiot! Not at all!”

    “What about Big Brother?” I asked.

    “He’s…not bad,” Morgana said slowly, “He fought well. For a beginner.”

    “Hey! What about me?” Ryuji-senpai protested. “And ‘cooperate’?”

    “Don’t you remember?” the cat sighed, “I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form! That why we must delve deep into Mementos and –”

    “Whoa, hold up,” Senpai interrupted, “What’re you goin’ on and on about? We never said anything about helpin’ you out.”

    “Huh?” A pause. “Don’t tell me…” Another pause. “Are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you?” He pointed at Big Brother. “Especially you! You’re going to up and leave, even though you’re already part of my master plan!?”

    “What plan?” Big Brother asked.

    “He never agreed to any ‘plan’,” I added, “Or are you going to call him an idiot again?”

    “No, I mean, I,” Morgana stuttered, his furry cheeks turning red. The fur on his back and tail stood straight up. “Is it because I’m not human…? Because I’m like a cat…?” He looked between all three of us. “Is that why you’re making a fool of me!?”

    “We’re busy!” Ryuji-senpai explained, losing patience with the cat.

_And you’re the one who made a fool of yourself,_ I thought, _No one calls my brother an idiot._

    “Thanks for everything, cat,” Senpai went on, crouching down to Morgana’s level and patting his head, though Morgana snipped at his hand. “You’ve got guts, bein’ a cat and all!” He stood up and waved with a smile. “See you around!”

    With that, we ran off and left the cat in our wake. Part of me wanted to feel guilty. But that cat committed the cardinal sin of offending Big Brother. I may have been able to tolerate his slights towards Ryuji-senpai, but my brother was off limits. Besides, I needed to figure out how I was going to approach Kojima tomorrow.

    “Hey! What the hell!?” I heard the cat yell. “Ugh, seriously! Why’re you wrapping this up like everything’s all hunky-dory!? Oh hell no! Get back here!” He continued to scream and rant even as we reentered our world.

***

    “You have returned to the real world. Welcome back.”

    I swear those prisoner’s screams were going to haunt my dreams tonight. Maybe the tiny smidge of guilt for leaving Morgana behind as well. But mostly the screams.

    “…Thank god. We’re back,” Ryuji-senpai exhaled, back in his normal school clothes. Surprisingly, his blazer was going to normal. Did the medicine I gave him also work on clothes? That’ll be convenient. Less questions to answer if we somehow got cornered.

    I looked over at Big Brother and, somewhat to my disappointment, his dapper outfit had turned back into his uniform as well. Oh well. At least we landed in an alley way. No one was around except for a few people on the side streets. But they were too busy living their own lives to worry about some stray kids.

    “How’s your side, Hikari?” Big Brother asked, scanning me for any injuries.

    “I’m more worried about you two,” I said, spinning around slowly anyway to show him I wasn’t hurt. A little scuffed up but not hurt. Hopefully Sakura-san wouldn’t notice. “You two were the heavy hitters in this story.”

    “True,” he agreed, before ruffling my hair, “But it’s kind of my job to worry about you.”

    “I already called dibs,” I pouted, “Who’s the delinquent here?”

    “Who’s a year and three months older?”

    “Who’s the bigger bookworm?”

    “What’s that got to do with it?”

    From behind me, I heard Ryuji-senpai laugh and I blushed as Big Brother laughed with him. Finally, I laughed with them and the tension and anxiety melted away. Finally. We can finally laugh after everything happened. This was the first sliver of hope that everything was going to be okay. We still have to deal with the Kamoshida issue and I’m still going to need to confront Kojima later. On top of that, we’re more than likely going to have to return to that Palace again and endure a more than ticked off Morgana.

    But right now, we were laughing.

    Finally, we managed to settle down and Ryuji-senpai grew somber.

    “I dragged you guys around a lot, huh?” He scratched the back of his head. “…Sorry.” He rolled his head slowly to the left, then slowly to the right and released a large yawn. “Ugh, I’m dead tired. How you holdin’ up?”

    “I could use a nap,” Big Brother admitted, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. I yawned as well and I leaned on Big Brother’s side. “You too?” I nodded silently. “Don’t fall asleep yet.”

    “You’ll carry me, right?” I asked, half-joking.

    “Maybe,” he said with a smile, “I don’t think the subway will be too comfy though.”

     Ryuji-senpai laughed again before another yawn escaped. “Man, I’m gonna sleep like a rock when I get home.” He smiled again as he bounced on the balls of his feet. “But  damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin’ like slaves. Once we make ‘em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done.” He looked at both of us in turn, his face more serious again. “So…wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?”

    “Sure, I’ll help,” Big Brother said, his smile not dropping.

    “I think I might know a witness,” I volunteered, “I don’t know if she’ll tell me anything, but I bet she was one of his victims. At least, that’s what I think.”

    “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Ryuji-senpai cheered with a clap of his hands. Then he turned off to the side and he seemed a bit more embarrassed. When he talked, he directed himself towards Big Brother. “If you’re thinkin’ of layin’ low ‘cause you got a record, I don’t think that’ll help…” He sighed. “Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal.”

     Heated bloomed in my stomach and rose through my chest, but I bit my tongue. Ryuji-senpai was only tell us how it was. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t suspected as much. Those whispers weren’t for nothing.

     “How’d that happen?” Big Brother asked.

     “Kamoshida opened his damn mouth!” Ryuji-senpai said, baring his teeth.

     “I knew it!” I burst out. I clenched my hands and stomped a foot. “I heard him talking about it with Takamaki-senpai!”

     Big Brother’s nose wrinkled and his glasses flashed. He breathed in through his teeth, held his breath, and slowly let it out through his nose.

     “Seriously…?” he whispered, running a hand through his hair.

     “No one else besides a teacher could’ve leaked it that fast!” Senpai confirmed, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a student or a club; he just wrecks things he doesn’t agree with. Just like he did with me…!”

     We all paused and took in a deep breath. Almost simultaneously, we released it. The anger was still raging inside me, but at least I felt less of an urge to storm a castle. For now.

     “No one’ll take anything I say seriously,” Ryuji-senpai muttered, his eyes downcast. “Still, those rumors about him gettin’ physical might be real. And after seein’ Kamoshida’s distorted-heart thing in person, there’s no way I can just sit back!”

     “Of course,” Big Brother agreed, his tone firm and resolute.

     “I can’t just sit back either,” I added. Because now, Kamoshida made it personal.

     Ryuji-senpai clenched his fist and his face brightened. “I’m countin’ on you! Don’t worry; I'm hyped about this too!”

     I smiled. I didn’t need his words to affirm that. But still, it was nice, more than nice, knowing that we had a solid ally in this battlefield. Maybe now I don’t have to worry as much. With Ryuji-senpai around, Big Brother won’t be alone.

***

November

            Akira Kurusu had just wrapped up his story of how he had come into contact with the former gold medalist and gym teacher. The pain swarming in his head forced him to pause for a moment as more memories jumbled and connected simultaneously in a way that threatened a massive headache to overtake him. Was this how Hikari felt whenever headaches bothered her? He allowed the thought to come and go as memories of his first ally, Ryuji Sakamoto, flitted here and there.

            On the other side of the interrogation desk, Sae Niijima continued to drill him with her hawkish glare.

            “Acting as a Phantom Thief would’ve been more efficient alone,” she began, “You could’ve gone about it that way… However, you did not. There are merits to having associates… That’s what you decided.” She leaned forward and dared Akira to meet her eyes. “Am I wrong?”

***

April

            “Chariot…” Big Brother whispered.

            I turned towards him and I’ll never forget it. His gaze looked so far away and yet it seemed as if he had just woken up from a dream. He was staring right at Ryuji-senpai, but Senpai was only rubbing his eyes, too tired to notice or hear.

            “Big Brother?” I asked, “What did you say?”

            Another blink and he snapped out of it. He shook his head and stared at me. He opened and closed his mouth until a growl rumbled out beside us. He stopped and looked back at Ryuji-senpai with a quizzical brow.

            “Oh,” Ryuji-senpai said sheepishly, “Right. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.” He shrugged. “It’d be weird splittin’ off now, so why don’t we grab a bite somewhere?”

            “What kind of food?” Big Brother asked, as if the strange incident hadn’t occurred.

            “Meat, man,” Ryuji-senpai replied as if it had been obvious.

            A bigger growl rumbled out and the two of them stared me. I giggled a little and twirled my braid.

            “Meat…sounds good,” I said, trying miserably to cover up my embarrassment. Tomoya used to tease me that my stomach sounded like a lion. She almost jumped the first time she heard it.

            I wonder how Kojima would have reacted if she had heard it too.

            Ryuji-senpai only laughed and nodded. “Just follow me. I mean, I totally gotta hear about your past!”

            Oh boy… Well, at least this is Ryuji-senpai we’re talking to here. He’s already proven that he’s willing to stick with us until the end and really, it’ll be better if he heard the true story. Especially with the way Kamoshida’s been parading the twisted version around.

            Before we got too far, Big Brother pulled me back as we trailed behind Ryuji-senpai. He bent over and whispered in my ear.

            “Back there, did you hear anything strange?”

            “Besides our growling stomachs?” I whispered back.

            He shook his head. “I mean, did you hear a girl’s voice?”

            “I only heard you saying something about a chariot.”

            Big Brother stood back up and tugged at his bangs.

            “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

            But he never said anything. Nothing except, “Never mind.” And, just for a moment, I felt a gap between us. It was small, but I couldn’t help but feel afraid that it was going to grow wider soon.

            I have to get a Persona. I have to take down Kamoshida. Whatever it took to close that gap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying not to get too graphic as I go through Kamoshida's dungeon, but if it ever seems like I'm venturing into the "M" category, or if anything feels uncomfortable, please let me know and I'll be quick to fix it as soon as possible. :) Thanks!


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